The White Rose
by SongbirdSarah
Summary: Seto Kaiba has been murdered suddenly and has left his young wife and little brother behind. They are left to help each other and deal with their own grief. Can they stay themselfves or will they become cold and alone like Seto?
1. Chapter 1: Shock and Aftershock

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 1: Shock and Aftershock **

A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

**By: **Mazakai

**Started:** 8-20-05

**Completed:**

**Posted:**

**Disclaimer:** First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba! Also this was the first major story I have ever written, so please be nice.

**Warning: **This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death. May cause tears.

Lightning flashed and the thunder gave a deep, drumming roll. Hailey sat up with a yell in their bed. Seto still wasn't in bed yet. He had been working when Hailey had gone to bed and he had promised that he would be in bed no later then midnight. As another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, she looked around, her blue eyes widened in fright and wonder. "Where are you Seto?" Hailey asked aloud to the room, hoping for an answer. None came.

She could no longer see the dim blue light of the alarm clock on the other side of the bed. A shiver ran through her spine as the rain began to patter the window. Hailey's mind raced with fright and half imagined things in the dark. Then her mind fell on her greatest comfort. She grabbed at the gold oval locket hanging around her neck.

Hailey's breathing slowed. That was all she needed. To think of her husband. Strong, confident, brave. She arose from the bed, cool, collected Hailey Kaiba once more.

The floor was cold on Hailey's bare feet, and it creaked slightly as she walked out the door and down the hall to Mokuba's room.

Mokuba Kaiba was however in his room, sound asleep, curled up in his orange comforter. Hailey heard a crash downstairs, startling her out of her moment of silence. She smiled slightly, concluding that her husband had gotten mad and thrown something. But a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach welled up and Hailey suddenly became worried.

"Mokuba! Mokuba wake up. I need your help." Hailey whispered as she gently woke her brother-in-law from his deep slumber. She really wanted someone to walk down with her down to the main floor of the mansion. After a few seconds of vigorous shaking, the youngest Kaiba awoke from his sleep.

"Hailey, what's the matter. Why are you so pale?" Mokuba asked as Hailey turned on the light that was beside his bed.

"Seto's hasn't come up to bed yet, and I think I just heard something downstairs. Mokuba, I'm scared," came Hailey's shaky response.

"Big brother probably just got mad at something he was working on, there's nothing to be worried about," Mokuba replied sleepily but comforting.

"Please just come down with me to check on him!" Hailey pleaded, fright clear in her azure eyes.

"Alright, I'll come," Mokuba replied as he pulled himself out of bed and onto the cold wooden floor of him room.

"Thanks, Mokuba," was all that Hailey said as they left his room and headed towards the marble stairs. They carefully walked down the marble staircase and turned into Seto's study.

Nothing could have prepared Hailey and Mokuba for the site that awaited them. The large study was lighted by the soft glow of an old kerosene lamp. Seto's desk was upturned; his papers littered the floor. Hailey gasped and stepped in to the room, but she jumped back seeing the glittering remains of one of Seto's beloved Blue-Eyes White Dragon statues. Mokuba waited outside the door too shocked to move any further because of what he saw in the middle of the room. A body lay on the floor.

Hailey looked down and stared into the lifeless blue eyes of her husband. A puddle of blood surrounded Seto's head.

Hailey stumbled forward, tears running down her face, and fell to her knees where Seto's body lay and began to whimper. "No…Seto…no…come back," came her pleading cry. "Come back!" she whispered. After a few minutes of just staring at the dead body of her husband, Hailey turned her face up to the ceiling and…then there was a piercing scream of agony and anguish. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! SETOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And that was the end of the young and innocent Kaiba family.

**Five Years later…**

A young, raven haired woman stepped out of the dark gray limo labeled with the Kaiba Corp. insignia. Few people these days would have recognized her as Hailey Kaiba, the feisty young women who had been seen smiling at the side of her husband in all of the magazines.

Right behind her followed a young raven haired man. Even fewer people would have recognized him as Mokuba Kaiba, the hyperactive little child who had once kept his brother running ragged, without his frequent appearances in newspapers and magazines as well.

In fact, it was coming up on the five-year anniversary of the murder of Seto Kaiba. And the chance for his murderer to ask for an appeal. There was no way that would happen though. Seto Kaiba had been sitting in his study and he had been shot in the head. Looking back, Hailey remembered that some sound had woken her up. She had dismissed it for thunder, and she sat abed while her husband's murderer made a stealthy escape, but no before trashing Seto's office and destroying one of Seto's Blue-Eyes statues.

And within the next year, people began noticing a startling change in both Hailey and Mokuba. Certainly, the stress of running a multi-billion dollar company would weigh heavily on anyone's shoulders, especially those of a grieving nineteen year old girl and twelve-year-old boy, but the change became more than much more than grievance or owning a company. By age twenty, Hailey could always be seen in a trim and fit business suit, and the occasional trench coat, but they were always black, and she always wore her hair up a tight knot on the back of her head, and she always had her briefcase, laptop, and cell phone. For she had taken on the role of Kaiba Corp CEO after Seto died. Then by age twenty-three, she had her husband's cold attitude and a piercing cold look in her eyes, just like her deiced husband. Hailey Kaiba was feared by many, but she was also admired. The same changes awaited Mokuba Kaiba as well. By fifteen, Mokuba no longer had any friends, and by his seventeenth birthday, Mokuba was also feared by many. He stood six-foot-four with sharp facial features, neatly trimmed raven hair, and piercing steel-blue eyes. Mokuba had grown into the looks that tended to run in his family: tall, dark, and incredibly handsome. Mokuba not only looked like his brother, he also began to act like him. He had no personal life and very little social time unless it was spent at company balls. He spent his nights tinkering with gadgets, writing reports, and creating complicated mazes and intricate puzzles for video game systems. He even began wearing long, dark, billowing trench coats.

Together Hailey and Mokuba Kaiba had become the perfect business associates in all of Japan. They were a killer team in the board room and in the real world. While Seto Kaiba lived, no one ever messed with the Kaiba family, and now was no different. You did not mess with Hailey or Mokuba Kaiba. And now like every other day, Hailey and Mokuba had to face the stupidity of the rest of the world and the pains of losing the one they loved.

Hailey Kaiba was sitting in her high-backed, leather chair on the 67th floor of the Kaiba Corp. building. She now sat in the long, spacious executive office once occupied by her husband. She was playing with graphics on her computer for a new video game she was designing, when a buzz came over the intercom.

"What?" she said crossly into the intercom on her desk.

"Mrs. Kaiba," her secretary answered timidly. "You have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"A Mr. Mouto. He has an appointment, ma'am."

"Send them in," Hailey grunted. The door opened but the CEO did not stand to greet her guests.

Yugi Mouto walked in. He had grown quite a bit though his hair was the same pointy shape. He wore a black, pin-stripped business suit.

'_He finally gave up the fairy tales,'_ Hailey thought, noticing the absence of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck.

Behind Yugi, a woman had entered. Her auburn hair rippled around her shoulders, and as she smiled at him, her azure eyes glittered. She wore a black skirt, and a pink shirt. Hailey thought that her stomach bulged slightly.

Yugi smiled as well. "Hello Hailey."

Hailey did not. "Yugi."

"I believe you know my wife, Tea." Hailey nodded curtly at her. Yugi gently placed his hand on her stomach. "We're expecting." He said. Tea blushed slightly.

"I see," said Hailey, making an adjustment on her computer screen. "Why are you here, Yugi?"

Yugi's smile faltered. "We thought we'd stop by to see how you were doing." Hailey noticed a small head peeking out from behind Tea's leg. Yugi held his hand out to her and she hurried from behind Tea's leg into his arms. Hailey saw a mass of bushy, brown hair as she buried her head in Yugi's shoulder. "This is Cecilia," he said, indicating the mass of fluff in his arms.

Hailey was fighting the powerful urge to make them leave. She hardly needed old connections interfering with her work. She stayed silent hoping they would catch the message.

"Yugi's a lawyer now," Tea said, trying to break the silence.

"Is he now," said Hailey in a bored way, barely paying attention.

"Down! Down!" said a child's voice. Yugi set Cecilia on the ground and Hailey watched her out of the corner of her eye. She had the Millennium Puzzle around her neck. She began to totter toward a large statue of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the corner of the room.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at it and Hailey noticed the color. A deep, piercing blue that changed with every thought in her little head. The color, shape, and even a strange wisdom reflected in her clear eyes hit Hailey very near what was left of her heart. She gasped. In this tiny girl, with dazzling blue eyes, Hailey saw a reflection of her husband.

The grief of loosing Seto rekindled inside Hailey, giving way to fury. She rose quickly, a fire burning in her eyes. "Leave."

"Hailey, wha..." Yugi began. Hailey cut him short.

"GET OUT! NOW!" Cecilia, startled by Hailey's loud voice, gave a cry and abandoned the statue she was admiring and ran to hide behind her mother. Tea quickly backed out of the room.

Yugi didn't move, but stood looking at Hailey. "I thought I told you to... "This time it was Hailey who was interrupted.

"I heard you quite well," Yugi stated. "But don't think we're finished here, because we're far from it, _Mrs. Kaiba. _Good day." Yugi firmly closed the door behind him as he left.

Hailey returned to her seat shaking with rage. There was another knock at her door. "Mrs. Kaiba, your two-o-clock is here."

"I want all of my appointments cancelled for the remainder of the day."

"But Mrs. Kaiba! Sasuke Uchiha is here to discuss..."She stuttered as Hailey interrupted her.

"If Mr. Uchiha wishes to continue to do business with Kaiba Corp. he can reschedule." She yelled.

Her secretary closed the door and Hailey could hear her apologizing profusely to the man outside. Hailey knew she was showing bad business, but at the moment, she could have cared less. The last thing she needed was a nervous breakdown. Hailey quickly packed up her things and picked up her office phone to call Mokuba.

"Kaiba here," Mokuba answered when he picked up the phone.

"Mokuba, I'm going home now, I'll take the cycle and you can bring the limo back." Hailey replied curtly into the phone. She knew Mokuba wouldn't question her about her decision.

"Sure. I'll handle the two meeting we have to today. Go home Hailey." Mokuba replied. It was on these few occasions the Kaiba family acutely softened their heart. The bond Hailey and Mokuba shared wasn't as strong as the one Mokuba had with Seto, but they did soften their attitude towards each other when they talked.

"Thanks Mokuba," Hailey answered and they both hung up.

Hailey had planned to ride the motorcycle home anyways, so she had brought an extra pair of cloths that would be more appropriate for riding the cycle. Seto would have been proud of her wardrobe. Tight black leather pants, a form fitting black t-shirt, tall black boots, and her favorite black leather trench coat. Grabbing her helmet and donning her trench coat, Hailey walked from her office, and down to the garage, where her husband's precious "Dragon" bike waited for her. Pulling the helmet over her head, Hailey gunned the engine, and sped out of Kaiba Corp, driving into the setting sun.

When Hailey got home that night after her abrupt departure from Kaiba Corp., she set to work on the project, as not have been able to work much at the office. She needed something to cool her nerves down after that encounter with Yugi. She had never thought she would see those eyes again in this lifetime.

Hailey toiled around in her office for awhile, before Mokuba got home around eleven thirty. He came into her office briefly, pecking her on the check and telling her not to work too much later into the night. As he left the office, Mokuba wished her a good night and headed up to bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.

Suddenly her work didn't interest her as much as it had earlier. She was getting annoyed and it was eating at her nerves.

"Great, now what am I to do?" Hailey mumbled saving her work and getting up from her chair. "Come on Kaiba, get a grip. You need to distress."

Hailey walked out of her office, shutting the lights off behind her and headed up stairs. A nice cold shower seemed to be calling her name, so Hailey headed down the left hallway to the bathroom.

Quickly taking off all of her clothing, Hailey stepped into the shower and turned the water on and kept it on cold. The icy blast shocked and numbed her body from the moment it hit her skin. Though Hailey didn't notice the temperature at all. It felt good and it lifted the grief from her heart. Taking cold showers was Hailey's way of relaxing. She stood under the freezing water for a few more minutes before she came back to reality and remembered that she needed to clean herself. Attacking her hair with shampoo and nails, Hailey desperately tried to wash away the memory of the little girls piercing blue eyes. As she stood rinsing out her hair in the cold water, tears began to slowly make their way down her check, blending in with the water. She cried silently for a few minutes, but then she lost control. Hailey let out a blood curdling scream that pierced the air around her. She fell to her knees in the shower and grabbed her sides as she began to sob uncontrollably, this time her cries echoed through the bathroom.

"Seto…come back…I need you! Come back…come back!" Hailey sobbed as she looked up to the ceiling, trying to make him hear her pleas for him. She missed him so much, and it was in these few moments that she ever showed how much she missed him. In the safety of her own home she could show how she really felt. She and Mokuba had these moments together a few times over the last five years, particularly right after Seto's funeral. She hated remembering that day. She never thought she would make it through that day.

Flashback

_Hailey and Mokuba arrived in a black limo at exactly eleven o'clock, a few minutes before the funeral was to start. This was going to be hard on both of them. She emerged from the vehicle first, head bowed to the ground even as she stepped forward, dressed entirely in black. Mokuba followed right behind her, silently crying even before the funeral started. He was wearing a black suit and tie, were as Hailey was wearing a black skirt and shirt and a black leather trench coat that hung loosely around her knees. She had a black scarf tied around her neck reaching down to the small of her back. Her long black hair was pulled up into a tight bun on the back of her head. _

_The color didn't suit them; Hailey and Mokuba had always represented optimism and hope, and wearing the darkest, most foreboding color possible only seemed to highlight (in an ironic manner) the fact that the Hailey and Mokuba they all knew and loved so dearly wasn't ever going to be the same._

_Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Marik, Ishizu, and Odion were already at the graveyard when they arrived, all in black themselves._

_Mai, too, was there, also wearing a formal black outfit, presenting a very different woman than the one that usually wore violet garb. She stood a slight distance from Yugi and the others, watching with a sad expression as the Kaiba's walked forward, keeping their eyes on the grass. Their eyes all followed Hailey and Mokuba as they walked to the front of the memorial._

_Most of the company present were business associates of Kaiba Corp. only there to heighten their own company's image, for showing up to the funeral of the most respected business figure out there. It would be good publicity for their companies if they were seen showing respect to the one person that stood in the way of their companies own success. _

_Though many adults were there to mourn the loss of an admirable young man, who had been generous to many unfortunate people throughout his short life time. And to give their condolences to Kaiba's now widowed young wife, and his brother._

_Hailey and Mokuba occupied the first two seats in the first row of chairs lining the area before Seto's grave, and their friends were quick to seat themselves beside them, with Marik, Ishizu, and Odion on Mokuba's immediate right, followed by Mai, Serenity, Duke, Yugi, Tea, and then Tristan at the end of the row. _

_Mokuba looked up to Hailey as she silently looked at the dark mahogany coffin in front of her. She felt his gaze on the side of her face and turned to face his, she faked a smile, and her lips trembling as she did so. Mokuba took this as a sign, and wrapped his around her waist, hugging her for all she was worth. Hailey hugged the small boy back, softly crying into his shoulder even as adults and her own friends looked on._

_The service dragged on slowly, especially for Hailey, who couldn't take her eyes off the coffin. She had chosen it, and she had chosen the flower arrangements. She had chosen white roses, Seto's favorite flowers. They accented the coffin nicely, not that any of that mattered. She just wanted to get this day over with. She had a thorn less white rose clutched in her hand._

_The smell of the flowers, even in the cool, damp morning, was sickening, almost choking Hailey. She tried to avert her eyes from them -and the coffin- and glanced around at company. Many of the faces were unfamiliar adults, employees for her husband larger corporation that she had never met. But, to her surprise, in the back, there were a few faces she knew well._

_'Weevil Underwood? And... Rex Raptor?' The two younger boys had both been beaten soundly by Yugi and Joey a number of times, and Hailey didn't understand why they were there-- let alone dressed just as formally as anyone else present._

_Curiosity sparking her, Hailey glanced around further, allowing Mokuba, who now sat in her lap, to shift. In the rear, she caught sight of Kenshin Himura and Mako Tsunami, recent additions to the small group of friends Hailey had hung around with. She wondered why they weren't up front, but it was possible that they didn't like funerals very much either._

_'Who would? Probably only that Bonz kid...' Hailey thought to herself. She swallowed, trying to focus on the sermon that the minister was giving, and after that, the words of several employees._

_She was dazed and cold, not realizing until the minister kneeled before her._

_"Mrs. Kaiba, do you have any last words for your husband?"_

_Somehow the minister's words made it sound like she was about to get executed, and Seto was there to watch. But such wasn't the case at all._

_But none of Hailey's "what ifs" could bring her beloved husband back. She knew that. And it stung. It stung, and it was bitter. It was bright, and it was sharp. So many sensations for a single word --loss. Utter, total, and complete._

_Hailey rose on shaky feet, depositing Mokuba on the chair that she'd once sat in. She walked hesitantly up to the coffin, swallowing the rising bile in her throat a she glanced into the casket._

_Seto had always been pale, but the paleness that came with death was painfully obvious. Seto Kaiba didn't look like the man Hailey had recognized as 'husband' for two years. She wanted to scream and shout that this was wrong, that this had to be a mistake, that this WASN'T her husband. It couldn't be. He had promised not to leave her alone in the world, but here she was alone, terribly alone._

_But in Hailey's heart of hearts, she knew it was. Morticians weren't gods; they couldn't make the dead look alive again. Hailey knew, just as well as anyone else, that he wasn't simply "sleeping." She reached out a trembling hand and grasped her husband's hand-- it was cold. Heavy. Lifeless._

_With a gasp, Hailey let her husbands hand go, watching in acute horror as it flopped back down to his body with a soft thud. Hailey's own hand flew up to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes._

_"He.., he will be missed," Hailey mumbled out to the crowd. "I loved him so much…I know he knew that. I know that he loved me and Mokuba with all of his heart. Seto Kaiba was a great man. He was the greatest husband I could have asked for. I can't…I can't believe that he's actually gone. I…I…I…miss him so much." Hailey choked out as she stood behind Seto's coffin, looking out into the faces seated before the coffin._

_Whether or not they'd all heard her, it didn't matter, for Hailey collapsed to the soft, moist dirt in front of the coffins, crying her heart and eyes out._

_Yugi (as the Pharaoh) was the first to rise to his feet, but not the first to arrive at Hailey's side-- rather, Mokuba was there first, kneeling beside Hailey. Violet eyes met with cloudy blue ones, reassuring one another that they both had the same idea in mind. Hailey need the comfort both boys could offer. So Mokuba hugged Hailey, while Yugi wrapped his arms around the two remaining Kaiba's, crying silently with them. The three friends stayed like this for a few minutes until their tears were under control and they could stand without losing their balance. _

_Yugi shifted away from Hailey, giving her a brief and slight reassuring hug, knowing that she needed to be with Mokuba more than anything at the moment. Mokuba looked up at his sister-in-law and gave her a big hug before he went back to sit down. Hailey stood beside the coffin and just looked down at the ground with a dull look in her eyes, like she had lost the will to live, but she was still alive._

_Everyone who attended the funeral got up and walked in a solemn line past the coffin and said goodbye to Hailey, who was still standing at the foot of her husband's coffin. She accepted the hugs that where given to her, and said "thank you" to those who gave their condolences to her and Mokuba. _

_When all was said and done, Yugi, Serenity, Duke, Mai, Ishizu, Marik, Odion, and Tristan were the last ones left amongst the damp metal seats, staring at the place where Hailey was standing. They all got up and stood in front of Seto's still open coffin. They each moved in front of him and said a few final words, and then moved to Hailey and Mokuba and gave each of them a big hug. Yugi, Ishizu, Marik, and Odion where the last ones to leave the funeral. The Ishtar all crowded around the two remaining Kaiba's all gave the two a group hug. Yugi stood a few feet away wanting to give the family some space. _

"_Hailey, you know that if you need to talk, you can come home any time. You to Mokuba." Ishizu said as she squeezed her younger sisters _

_"Thanks, Ishizu," Hailey answered her voice hoarse from crying._

_Marik came up to his twin sister and gave her a big hug, and kissed the top of her head. "Hailey, be a strong like the wolf, but do not become a loner like the wolf." the teenage Egyptian said as he pulled away from their embrace. It was an ancient proverb that the priest had taught them back in Egypt. Marik also knew that the wolf was Hailey's favorite animal and that she found strength in the magnificent creature._

"_Mistress Hailey, I am terribly sorry for your lose. You can come home whenever you like and talk to me," Odion said as he hugged his young mistress for all she was worth._

"_Thanks, guys. This means a lot to me," Hailey whispered as she looked at her family through glassy eyes._

_She watched the Ishtar's leave the cemetery, and after they were out of view, Yugi approached Hailey and wrapped his arms around his grieving friend._

"_Hale, the gang and I are all sorry about what we said about Kaiba in the past. We were probably the closet thing he had to a best friend before you came along, and all we did was give him grief about how stuck up and selfish he was. Now I, at least, wish I hadn't," Yugi said in a chocked voice. He knew that if he didn't get away soon he would be the one crying, not Hailey._

"_I know Yugi, I know." Hailey said against her friend's chest. All she wanted to do was curl up on the ground next to Seto's grave and die alongside her husband. Though she knew that Yugi would never let her to do something like that, not in a million years._

"_Let me take Mokuba home for you so you can really say your last words to Kaiba. I know that's what you want. I'll tell your driver to wait." Yugi said as he pulled away from their tight embrace._

"_Th…thanks Yugi. You're the best friend a girl could ask for." Hailey said as she bent down to her little brother-in-law._

"_Mokuba, do you have anything else you'd like to say to your big brother before Yugi takes you home?" Hailey asked as she looked the young boy in the eye, seeing tears well up once again. "Come here Mokuba." Hailey said opening up her arms for the younger boy. Mokuba fell forward into her waiting embrace and hugged his "big sister" with all his might. Truth be told, Mokuba was so scared to even walk up to the open casket, let alone talk to his dead brother, but he knew that he had to say goodbye to Seto. So pulling away from Hailey, Mokuba stood right beside his brother's casket and prepared himself for the things that he had to say._

"_Big brother, you where the best friend and brother I could have ever wanted. You were like a father to me through the hardest time of our lives. And now that your gone, I don't know what I'll do with out you…I need you big brother, more now than ever, I love you big brother. I promise to take care of "big sister" Hailey for you. Good-bye big brother. I'll miss you." Mokuba chocked out as he turned and ran back to Hailey and her warm embrace._

"_Good job, Mokuba. I'm proud of you," Hailey said into the little boy's ebony hair. _

"_Come on Mokuba; let's leave Hailey alone for awhile. I take you home and stay with you until she get back." Yugi said as he put his arm around Mokuba's shoulders and led the small boy to his car._

"_Thanks, Yugi," Hailey whispered as she watched the two walk away, then she turned back to the casket that held her dead husband._

"_Seto…I don't know where to begin. First off, I love you…with all my heart and soul. I'll take good care of Mokuba for you. I know that I won't have as strong of bond with him as you did, but he's all I have left and I'm he has left. We'll need each other more than ever now. Second, I'll make sure Kaiba Corp. is run the way you would have wanted it ran. I've watched you work these last few years, and I know how you work. I won't disappoint you Seto. Kaiba Corp. will not fall. Not now, not ever." Hailey said as she knelt near her husband's coffin. Then suddenly she burst out. "Why did you have to leave me? You told me the night we got married that you would never leave me, but you've left me. Alone and afraid for what might come. Damn you Seto, why did you have to leave me. I need you…I need you," she whispered the last part._

_One of the pall bears came up and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Ma'am, we need to close the casket know."_

"_Yes, of course. Just a moment though" Hailey replied stiffly. She bent down and placed her lips on Seto's deathly cold ones in one final kiss, before placing the white rose she was holding into his cold hand. "I love you Seto Kaiba, now and forever. Good-bye my mighty dragon." She whispered as she lifted her body away from his. She then turned and walked away from the sight, a crystalline tear sliding down her cheek. _

**End Flashback**

As Hailey remembered that day she cried even harder, but then remembered the promise she made to her husband before she left him '_I won't disappoint you Seto'_. She remembered those words the clearest and realized that she was breaking that promise at the moment. Seto wouldn't have wanted her to be so weak. He would have wanted her to be strong and get on with life. So Hailey stood up, turned the water off in the shower and wiped the tears and water from her face.

'_I won't fail you Seto. Not now, and not ever,'_ Hailey thought as she pulled her clothes back on. Even the trench coat. She was so accustomed to wearing it that she left it on when she got home. She exited the bathroom and stopped.

Her bedroom was to the right, but her eyes followed a pathway to the left hallway. That was the way to her's and Seto's old room. She had moved into one of the other rooms after Seto had died, not being able to stay in that room after Seto had gone. It was too much for the young woman.

Then half against her will she moved toward the left. Three doors she passed and then...their old room. She reached for the doorknob, her hand shaking slightly; her mind was racing. _'What the hell am I doing?'_ But she couldn't fight the urge to enter into their old room.

The faint glow of starlight entered through the open curtains. Hailey shivered, for the room, was deadly cold against her face and hands.

Everything was exactly as she had left Seto's stuff. The cologne, combs, and towels were arranged neatly on the desk covered in a thick layer of dust. The dresser and show rack followed suit. And the bed, in the center of the room, lay untouched, the navy sheets and comforter neatly folded. A mirror sat in the corner, still tilted from its last use. Hailey walked towards the bureau where the mirror sat

Hailey reached a hand out to the long, round mirror in front of her. She wiped a thick layer of dust from it. Azure-blue eyes looked back at her tiredly.

She wiped another stripe of dust from the reflective surface. She looked and saw something reflected there that shouldn't..._couldn't_ be there.

She turned form the mirror, her eyes wide. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breath was coming in short gasps. But it wasn't there... no one was there...nothing.

She looked back to the mirror. There they were _again. _"No," she whispered.

Panic flooded her and she fled, slamming the door behind her. She ran down the hall and into her bedroom, where she collapsed on the bed, shaking. But she didn't fall asleep for a long time. And she couldn't get them out of his mind.

Those eyes...

Those dead blue eyes...

**The next morning**

Hailey dozed restlessly that night. She frequently awoke to the sound of the chiming clock with her dreams haunted by the dead eyes in the mirror.

She awoke to the "Beep, beep, beep" of an alarm clock next to her bed. 6:00 am.

"What the fuck?" she murmured, forcing herself up. She looked at the beaming sunlight blearily. She stood up and stretched. _'It should be illegal to have work this early,' s_he thought, pulling off the trench coat.

After another extremely cold shower, she was still incredibly out of it, having tried to put her pants on well...her head. Which is not a Hailey Kaiba type of thing to do at all. **(A/N: come on the girl just had the holy living crap scared out of her at twelve o' clock in the morning, what would you be doing? Having coffee and reading the morning paper?)**

Yet even more out of whack was what happened when she got to work.

She pulled up in her dark blue limo. After having successfully managed to dress herself properly, she had chosen to wear a deep maroon trench coat. Mokuba had gone to an important meeting in Tokyo early that morning, so Hailey was going to have to manage headquarters all by herself, which was kind of weird since she was president of Kaiba Corp., where as Mokuba was vice president and he was going to an important meeting, instead of Hailey. Though at the moment Hailey was glad that Mokuba had agreed to go to the meeting in Hailey's place, she didn't want to deal with stuffy old CEO's at the moment. All she wanted to do was work on her new project in her quiet executive office at the top of the Kaiba Corp. building. Though quite was the exact opposite of what she got when she arrived at headquarters.

When her limo pulled up to the front of the building, her usual group of reporters stood waiting in front of the headquarters. There was a new development going on at Kaiba Corp. and they wanted to know what was going on.

'_Oh for the love of Ra!' _she thought, seeing more reporters than usual standing at the gate. She stealthily climbed out of the limo, hearing the usual: "Hailey! Hey Hailey!" "What's going on up there, Kaiba" and "Kaiba, Mrs. Kaiba, will you answer this question?" accompanied by several soft thuds and some paper being thrown at her.

Then there were the typical jeers and threats when she reached to middle of the crowd. "Hey, pretty girl! Come here and we'll tell you what we think of your company." "Hey Kaiba, why don't you go jump in a ditch" and her least favorite "Hey Kaiba seen any good blood spills lately?"

But Hailey ignored these a) being her usual little unmovable, unemotional self and b) she heard very few of the comments anyway.

She just kept walking, paying no attention to the mass of reporters following her like hungry dogs, and entered the Kaiba Corp. building for another day of work and the stupidity of the people who worked for her.

Her shoes clicked against the white tiled floor. The walls were white washed, everything was tidy and clean. And Hailey hated it desperately. She stopped in front of a door, labeled "Kyla Johnson: Psychologist."

She shuddered as she took the cold, brass doorknob in her hand. The door opened easily and inside was yet another white room. The difference was that the occupant, a cheery looking auburn haired woman, seemed to have hung poster after poster across the bare wall.

"Can I help you ma'am?" she looked up smiling, but she saw her visitor and her entire outlook changed. Hailey recognized her as Serenity Wheeler. Her hazel eyes turned cold and her mouth drew into a thin line. Hailey remembered then that Joey had been arrested because he was one of the key suspects in the case of her husband's murder. His chance for an appeal case was coming up in a few months. _'Oh joy! I had hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with that anytime soon.'_ Hailey thought quickly. _'Oh well as long as he's behind bars than that's fine with me.'_

"I want to see Miss Johnson. Now." Hailey said, standing tall and proud over the angry looking woman.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Doesn't exactly look like I'm going to need one, now does it?" It was true for the room was empty.

"I'm sorry, _ma'am_," Serenity said through gritted teeth. "You'll need an appointment."

Hailey leaned down on the desk, her face barely inches form hers. "You do realize," said Hailey threateningly, her voice a deadly whisper. "That I could have you fired, right here, right now."

"Yeah I do," Serenity spat boldly back. "But it wouldn't be the first time you ruined mine or my family's life, _Kaiba_."

They sat motionless, staring coldly into each other's eyes with unblinking hatred. A door shut somewhere, but they took no notice. A set of heels came walking toward them. "Hey 'Ren," a voice called. "Think we should close up early?" The woman paused seeing her secretary motionless, eye locked with a raven-haired woman leaning on her desk. "Um...am I interruptin' somethin'?"

Serenity blinked and turned, the momentary spell broken. Hailey stood up, an arrogant smile across her face, the kind she usually wore when firing someone. "You're not going anywhere, Johnson." She said coldly, turning her gaze to the other woman.

Kyla Johnson smiled forcibly. "Why don't you go into my office, Hun? I'll be there in a minute." Hailey turned sharply and walked through the door. Kyla shook her head and turned to Serenity. "Gee 'Ren, I don't remember having such bitch scheduled for today."

"Walk in." Serenity mumbled.

"Walk in got a name?" Kyla asked, grabbing some forms. She moved a pair of gold framed glasses off her straight dirty blonde hair and settled them on her nose.

"Yeah," scoffed Serenity. "Hailey Kaiba."

Kyla looked at her secretary. "_The _Hailey Kaiba? Last time she was here was after her husband got shot, and she wasn't nothin' more than a kid then." Kyla paused. "You O.K. 'Ren?"

Serenity nodded. "I...I'll be fine."

"Why don't you go home, Ren? I won't make ya deal with Kaiba again." Serenity nodded and began to pack up her things. Kyla turned to her office.

She walked through her door and Hailey turned away from the bookshelf in front of her. "Teach your secretary some manners," she sneered coldly, returning a book to its shelf.

"She's got 'em." Kyla replied. "She just ain't gotta deal with the man who put her brother in jail very often." She gestured toward the couch. "Have a seat please, Mrs. Kaiba."

"I prefer to stand," Hailey replied, absently running a hand through her hair.

Kyla raised a brow. "I believe you were told to sit. My office; my rules."

Hailey pursed her lips, but walked over and sat silently. Kyla smiled.

"So," she said, taking a seat across from him. "How you doin' Hailey?"

"Cut the casualties, Doc."

Kyla blinked. Hailey had not been so blunt the last time they had met. She had been a troubled young lady, looking for something after she lost the only comfort she ever had. "Hailey--" she began. She cut her short.

"I'm not a child anymore, Kyla, and I didn't come here to have a lovely little visit with an old 'friend', so spare me the pleasantries."

"They ain't," she coughed. "Aren't pleasantries. I haven't seen you for several years and I need to know--"

She interrupted her again. "I'm Hailey Kaiba, age twenty-three. I own a multi-billion dollar company. What else do you need to know?"

She looked at her evenly. "How many friends do you have, Hailey?"

"One."

"Who?"

"My brother-in-law. And I'm his only one too."

"Mokuba! Hailey he's just like you, you both don't have any friends!" She looked away. "Hailey...do you know who you're acting like?" She stiffened. "Hailey... answer me!" She shook her head. "Hailey you're just like--"

"SHUT UP!" Hailey leapt up.

"Sit down, Hailey." Kyla said in a soft commanding voice. "We ain't...aren't finished. Why did you even bother to come if you weren't gonna stay and talk to me? Tell me what freaked you out."

"I...I saw him... his eyes, I mean." Hailey said quietly, returning to her seat. She ran a hand through her hair again.

"Where?"

"I...I was in our old room last night...and I ...I was looking in the mirror... and they were there..."

Kyla nodded. "What were you doing before that, Hailey?"

"I was working on a prototype of mine and finishing up some papers."

"How many hours have you worked this week?

She shrugged. "Seventy or eighty."

"_Seventy_? Hailey, do you even_ breathe?_"

She scoffed. "That's what it takes to run my company." She let it pass.

"Had you been thinking about your husband at all before the incident?"

"Yes," Hailey replied after a moment's pause.

"Hailey," Kyla said in a business-like tone. "I think that you're working too hard and becoming an insomniac. It's gonna make you mentally unstable and more prone to these hallucinations. You can bet that they will be pertaining to your husband's death because that was the most dramatic event in your life. I suggest," she said, scribbling something on a piece of paper. "That you start taking this." she handed her the paper.

"And this is?" asked Hailey.

"A prescription for Valium **(which I do not own nor do I have any knowledge of.) **It's an anxiety pill." Hailey eyed her disdainfully. "I suggest you refrain form working late into the night and to get a social life."

Hailey scoffed at her silently. Let her talk, but no way in hell was Hailey Kaiba going to get a social life. And she couldn't really stop working.

Hailey entered the door to her office, slamming it shut behind her. After the press conference for the Duel Disk IV, Hailey drove straight to Kaiba Corp; hoping work might take her mind off...this thing. She also knew that if she went back to the mansion, she wouldn't get any work done.

On the other hand, she hadn't hallucinated in the last few weeks. The prescription from Johnson lay in a crumpled ball on the floor of his study. _'What foolishness,' _she had thought, throwing it to the ground. _'I am not taking this. I don't need it.'_ So there it sat.

Hailey sat quietly in her chair. Putting her fingertips together, she signed heavily. She looked around the office. She sat behind a rounded, redwood desk. Two redwood chairs sat in front of her. To the right, there was a long, tall bookcase, the shelves piled with books. There was a professional cappuccino machine on a small file folder. In front of her, there were two leather sofas, a rounded between them, and a large entertainment center with a large TV. In a far corner sat the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. One of Seto's most prized possessions.

**Flashback**

_Seto smiled. "Don't worry, Hailey, I'll never leave you..."_

**End Flashback**

"But you did leave me, Seto." Hailey ran a hand over the crystal Blue-Eyes' head. "All alone." She whispered to it. Her hand began to move toward the sapphire eyes. They were the same color Seto's eyes had been when she found him dead in his office, though the sapphires had a bit more light reflecting out of them than Seto's did. The memory of that night rushed over Hailey as she walked over to the window behind her desk. After looking out of the window for a few moments Hailey bowed her head, bangs hiding her eyes, and a single tear traced down her cheek.

Though she was shocked out of her reverie when her phone began to ring. '_That weird, usually the secretary buzzes me when I have a call.' _Hailey thought as she picked up the phone.

"Kaiba."

"Hello Mrs. Kaiba, how are you on this lovely day?" the voice asked. It was thick with an unfamiliar accent. Not even strange for the young Egyptian.

"Who are you?" Hailey asked annoyed.

"Well you don't know me, but your husband knew me, he…he knew me quite well." The voice answered again.

"What do you want?" Hailey asked her voice icy now.

"Did you love your husband; do you miss him?" the voice asked.

"My personal life is none of your business." Hailey replied sternly.

"Fine, next question. Do you care deeply for your brother-in-law?" the voice asked again.

"Not that its any of your business, but yes I do care a lot for Mokuba, he's all that I have left of my family." Hailey replied coldly.

"Well that's good, it will hurt even more then," the voice replied slickly.

"What on earth are you talking about, what are you going to do to Mokuba?" Hailey nearly cried out as she looked around frantically. All the reply she got was a chuckle from the mysterious person on the other end of the line.

"What the hell are you going to do to him? Answer me." Hailey cried out angrily into the phone.

"Good day Mrs. Kaiba."

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

**Okay so this was sort of a long chapter, full of detail and information that will come in handy in the next few chapters. Can you guess who our mysterious caller is? Well you'll just have to keep reading to find out now wont you. Please read and review!**

**Mazakai**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Encounter

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 2: The First Encounter **

**A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction**

**By: **Mazakai

**Started:** September 29, 2005

**Completed: **November 13, 2005

**Posted:**

**Disclaimer:** First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba!

**Warning: **This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death.

Recap from chapter one: 

Okay so Seto Kaiba is no longer of this world and his wife and little brother now run Kaiba Corp in the same way Seto did. Hailey starts to hallucinate, the death of her husband is now coming back to haunt her. Well his eyes and cold laughter at least. After a press conference, she receives a call from some maniac who tells her something bad is going to happen to Mokuba. And now the story continues.

"_Kaiba! Open this door!" Angry fists pounded the door to Seto's office._

_The door flew open and an angry looking aqua haired man stood there. "Why Dartz, what a pleasant surprise, I thought we had settled our little matter today in the board room."_

"_I not here for pleasantries, Mr. Kaiba," Dartz's voice rose through the hallways. "Why the hell did you do what you did?"_

"_I did what I had to do to insure my companies name wasn't marred by any of the companies that I involved my company with. I found out what you where doing behind my back and under my company's name. I will not keep such ties with someone or something like this" Seto replied smoothly, like he was discussing the matter over a brandy at the country club._

_Dartz's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have no idea who and what you're messing with Kaiba."_

_Seto laughed. "I think I do." He said. "If you knew of half the things I could and probably will do to someone who did what you did to my company, you wouldn't have even thought of the idea to do such a thing. I suggest that you leave it at this and get on with your life. You can always start over again, but that doesn't mean much really, Kaiba Corp. still could out run your pathetic excuse for a company" _

"_Take that back! My company is just as good as yours is!" Dartz yelled, anger flickering in his multi-colored eyes._

_Seto chuckled. "Your company never has compared to Kaiba Corp. and it never will, so get out of my face."_

_Dartz snapped. He launched himself at Seto, punching every inch he could reach. It took a few minutes before Seto could comprehend what was happening, and then he fought back, however, and Dartz was panting on the floor, clutching his stomach. _

_A small trickle of blood slowly ran down Seto's chin from the corner of his mouth. "Get the hell out of my house, Dartz! Never come near me, my family, or my company ever again!" he yelled, drawing his sleeve over his chin._

_Dartz stood up. "I'll leave, Kaiba, but this isn't the last time you'll see me. I will get my revenge for this Mr. Kaiba. You have been warned" He slowly limped out of the room._

Hailey awoke with a yelp. She had worked a few more hours after that mysterious phone call, but that voice kept coming back to haunt her work. She had to get a way form Kaiba Corp. so she drove around Domino on her cycle and stopped at the park, trying desperately to clear that call out of her memory. She had decided not to tell Mokuba about it. He might think that she needed to go back to the therapist, and that was the last thing that she wanted. So she left the park and drove back to the Kaiba mansion.

When she got home she immediately went to her office, and just sat in the dark for awhile, letting the stress of the day seep out of her and into the darkness. At about eleven Mokuba stopped by her office and came in to tell her that he was going up to bed and not to work herself to late into the night. He kissed her on the top of her head, and left her once again in the dark.

Though at eleven thirty, she decide that she would rather fall asleep in he nice soft bed than at her desk, so she trekked her way up stair and stopped out side of Mokuba's room, and found him sound asleep, curled up in his comforters like he had been the night Seto had died. He almost looked like that rambunctious little boy that she had met seven years ago, except for the fact that he was now about six foot five, and he had Seto's hair style and looks. "Good night Mokuba. I love you." Hailey had whispered as she closed his door and went down the hall to her own room. She quickly changed into her pajama pants and a black tank top, and went to sleep instantly.

And now here she was, awake at three o'clock in the morning, after having one of the weirdest dreams ever, about something she had never witnessed. _'What the hell was that about? I never remember meeting that man. Though he seemed familiar in some way. Oh well, I need to go back to sleep, nice big meeting in the morning.' _Hailey thought as she walked around her room trying to understand her dream, but she got nothing, so she climbed back into bed, and fell asleep again, her mind undisturbed by strange men beating up her husband.

**Okay so now we're going to change direction, and where going to see some of this story from Mokuba's point of view. This just needs to be put in here.**

Mokuba woke up at five that morning and went down to his office, trying to clear his own head after having a strange dream about something he had almost totally forgot about. The day Seto got his three Blue Eyes Cards.

Flashback 

_Movers were hustling back and forth. Out came a desk, an entertainment center, and a large computer. A fourteen-year-old Seto watched the movers with triumphant blue eyes, a small smirk across his face._

_Mokuba crept up to his older brother and looked at him with curious steel-blue eyes. "Seto, what are you doing?" _

"_I'm rebuilding an empire," Seto said turning his gaze on Mokuba who gave him a quizzical look. "Everything that Gozaburo created has been thrown down into the dirt where it belongs. And I will raise it up, better then it was before. With greater technology, better business, and more than that man ever dreamed will be accomplished." Seto laughed. "Come here, Mokuba, I want to show you something."_

_Mokuba followed Seto out of the building. He noticed that many people already skirted out of the young CEO's way as he led them down the sixty-six floors to the ground level. _

_He paused and addressed a man at the door. "Has the building of the new level begun yet?"_

"_No sir," the man answered quietly. "The plans were just completed and need your approval." He held out a blue print and Seto snatched it up. He looked it over for a few minutes. Then he threw it back to the man, and sneered coldly. "I want it done in two week, understand?"_

"_Yes sir," the man barely had the words out before Seto was out the door._

_Mokuba ran to catch up with his brother and tugged on his coat. Seto rounded to him, a furious look on his face. It softened instantly as Mokuba's eyes filled up with tears. "Sorry Mokie," he said pulling the child closer. "Come and look at these."_

_Mokuba nodded and followed his brother, wiping his eyes. "Wow!" he suddenly exclaimed as Seto led them up the back of a moving truck._

_In front of them, were three identical statues made of pure crystal, and sparkled like diamond. "Blue-Eyes," murmured Mokuba, astounded as the sight. "Where did they come from, Seto?"_

_Seto's brow furrowed. "A gift from Maximillion Pegasus for the corporate takeover of Kaiba Corporation," he said quizzically. "But what you really should see is this." He ran a hand over the head of the crystal dragon. He pushed in on its sapphire eyes and the crystal mouth slowly opened. Seto removed from the open jaws a crystal box._

_He leaned down to Mokuba and opened it. Mokuba was speechless. Seto pulled out two other identical boxes. They all held a treasure: A Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Monsters card._

"_But...how?" Mokuba whispered, gently lifting one of the cards form its velvet and crystal casing._

"_Pegasus owns Industrial Illusions, the company that makes Duel Monsters cards," said Seto._

"_But why?" Mokuba looked at his brother in amazement._

"_I was wondering that myself," Seto mused for a moment then nodded and laughed coldly. "Oh, I remember. I met Pegasus a while back when he was trying to trick Gozaburo into a business merger. I remember that wacko eye thing at any rate. I wonder how he knew I wanted Blue-Eyes..." Seto trailed off and pulled a note from inside the velvet box. He read it aloud._

"'_Dear Mr. Seto Kaiba, _

_I am so sorry to hear of the untimely demise of your dear stepfather. I do hope these will show my sincerest condolences. Though I am sure, you are rather pleased with the charge of such a successful company in your young clutches. Do enjoy it._

_Oh, and Kaiba-boy, three down, one to go!_

_Maximillion Pegasus'"_

_Seto looked at the card with disgust. "Kaiba-Boy? Oh that's original," he spat. He stood and turned to a pair of movers outside the open door. "Hey!" The men jumped and dropped the food they were carrying._

"_Y-yes, M- Mr. K- Kaiba?" they stuttered._

"_I want one taken to my house and **carefully **placed inside my office. Am I understood? The other two will go into my new office when it is built."_

"_Yes, sir." They quickly began to gather their things on the ground._

"_And no more goody breaks. You have work to do."_

_Mokuba sighed but he knew there was no getting around ignorant employees._

"_Let's go, Mokuba," Seto said, leaving the truck with the two crystal boxes. Mokuba ran his hand over the crystal head one last time._

"_Coming, Seto," he turned from them. "Just don't leave me."_

_Seto smiled. "Don't worry, Mokuba, I'll never leave you..."_

**End Flashback**

Mokuba had known that Seto had treasured his statues of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons, enough to bring one home and have it "guard" his home office. That one had been smashed to piece on the night of Seto's murder. The other two where still in the president's office at Kaiba Corp., Hailey hadn't had then removed when she took control over Kaiba Corp.

'_But big brother, you did leave me, us. You said you never would, but you did.'_ Mokuba thought as he got himself a thing of coffee. He quickly scribbled a note to Hailey saying that he went into work early and to come and see him when she got in.

With that he headed to the garage, and pulled his old bike helmet off the wall. It was his turn to drive the cycle to work, and to look like the late Kaiba.

**Okay so now where going to switch back to Hailey's point of view.**

As Hailey made her way down stairs to the kitchen, she noticed that she didn't hear the morning news on in the den, like she usually did. Mokuba liked to have some noise in the background when he ate breakfast, or read the paper.

"Mokuba, are you there." Hailey called as she looked into the room. She suddenly remembered the call that she had gotten the day before, and went into panic mode. One of the maids hurried out of the kitchen with a note clutched in her hand.

"Mrs. Kaiba, your brother-in-law left this for you." The maid said as she handed Hailey the note. It read '_Hailey I went to work early today. I need to see you when you get into work today. –Mokuba'_ Thank goodness. He was alright and safe and at Kaiba Corp.

"Thank you Julie, can you have my breakfast brought in to my office?" Hailey asked the young lady in front of her. She had no idea how she knew the girls name, but some how Hailey knew she was.

"Right away, ma'am." Julie said and left her mistress to what ever she had to do in her office this early in the morning before she went in to the office.

Hailey sat behind her computer, fingers flying over the keyboard as she researched companies that had once worked with hers and her husband, but were dropped suddenly. Though this was easier said than done, there where about one hundred and fifty companies that had been let go by her company. Though a lot of them where small and unimportant. She decided that she was looking for a big, somewhat well known company. She came up with five. Paladius, Lector Inc., Valmor Industrious, Saladiun Corp., and Wesley Enterprises. '_I'll do some more research on these when I get to work.'_ Hailey thought as she e-mailed the information to her computer at work.

She quickly finished the orange juice that she had been drinking, and headed out for the limo that was waiting for her at the front of the mansion.

As Hailey rode to Kaiba Corp. it started to rain, and when she finally reached the company headquarters, it was storming quite nicely. It matched the young CEO's attitude and mood perfectly. She loved to watch the storms roll by her windows in her large office at the top of the Kaiba Corp. building, seeing the lighting come down a few feet away from her window. It was exciting, though no one knew that she liked this and actually relaxed during that time. And no on would ever know.

She ran to the doors when the limo pulled up and didn't really mind that she got a little bit wet, which was an understatement; Hailey got soaked. The lady at the front desk was shocked when she saw her boss run in through the front doors, her hair and coat, well all of her, drenched from the storm. It had been raining harder than Hailey had thought as she got out of the limo, and as she had turned down the umbrella from the driver, Hailey had gotten quite drenched in her little jog.

"Good morning, Mrs. Kaiba, would you like me to get you anything to warm you up from the cold outside?" she asked when her slightly frightening looking boss walked over to her.

"Have some coffee brought up to my office in twenty minutes. Is my brother-in-law busy right now?" Hailey asked only sounding slightly annoyed. She wasn't as callous as she usually was when she didn't have a good night's sleep.

"Mr. Mokuba Kaiba arrived about an hour ago, would you like me to call and tell him you're here?" she asked as Hailey looked down upon her with a slightly angry look in her cold blue eyes.

"Yes. Thank you." Hailey replied as she walked briskly to the elevator and pushed the up button. As the doors closed in front of her, she heard the secretary talking to the other Kaiba brother. She pressed the button for the sixty-sixth floor of the building where the vice president's office was. She was there in seconds. Hailey had personally made sure that she had the fastest elevators at her disposal at Kaiba Corp. Everything was the best at Kaiba Corp. and Hailey and Mokuba made sure of that.

As Hailey stepped out of the elevator, she was greeted by a tired looking Mokuba; he had a cup of steaming coffee, black by the looks of it. She and Mokuba liked their coffee black most of the time, it gave them an edge that allowed them to put in the long hours of work they did each day.

"Thanks for stopping by, Hale. Can I speak with you in my office for a few minutes?" Mokuba asked in his usual business voice, that he used when he and Hailey were around their employees.

"Sure Mokuba." Hailey replied in the same tone that Mokuba had used.

After they where in the confines of Mokuba's office, Mokuba's expression went from some what cold, to worry as he looked over his sister-in-laws face. She was still as pretty as ever, but there were shadows under her azure-blue eyes, and she had faint stress line creasing her forehead. She looked as though she had the weight of the world riding on her shoulders. Well she sort of did. Kaiba Corp. had become an empire under his late step-father and brother's control over the company. It was mostly Seto who had created it into the empire it was today, but Gozaburo still none the less had created an empire, a tyranny that still lived on today.

"Hailey are you okay, you look really tired, and I heard you wake up last night. Is any thing bothering you?" Mokuba asked, he voice changing along with his facial expression. He was truly worried about her, and she could tell.

"I'm fine Mokuba, I just had a weird dream last night, and I've been thinking about your brother a lot in the last few days. I've been remembering a lot of stuff that I thought that I had forgotten." Hailey replied; her face and voice softening as well. She wasn't going to tell Mokuba about the strange call that she had gotten yesterday, but she decided that he might be able to help her with understanding the strange dream

So Hailey told Mokuba everything that she had heard in her dream, and asked him if he knew who this Dartz guy was. Mokuba didn't know or remember him at all, but there was a possibility that he and his company had worked with Kaiba Corp. on something.

"Thanks Mokuba, you've been really helpful." Hailey said as she picked up her briefcase and walked towards the oak door if the office.

"You're welcome Hale. Oh and don't forget to get me the stats and designs of the project your working on." Mokuba said as he walked with Hailey to the door of his office. "And remember, I want to take you out for dinner sometime this week so clear up your calendar."

"Right, Mokie." Hailey said as she opened the door and stepped out into the lobby on Mokuba's floor. "I'll send the information down sometime this morning."

She walked to the elevator and pushed the button that would take her up to her floor, and the sanctuary of her own office.

As she entered her own waiting room in front of her own office, she noticed that her secretary was desperately trying to stop someone from entering her executive office. Some much for quite this morning.

"Sir, you can not go in there. Mrs. Kaiba is not it right now. I will notify her that you came by and arrange a meeting with her." She nearly yelled as the young man that she was trying to apprehend struggles further.

"You got to let me in lady, this is urgent!" the young man answered as he tried to get to the door knob.

"What's going on here?" Hailey asked cold fury in her voice.

"Ah, Mrs. Kaiba, this young man would like to have a word with you, but I told him that he had to arrange a meeting with you, but then he just stormed past me and insisted that he needed to get into your office." Tsubame answered. She was a young brunette girl, with jade green eyes. Tsubame was petite, but she could hold her own against anyone who bothered her. As for the young man who was in front of her, Hailey had no idea who he was. Then he turned around.

It was Duke Devlin. She hadn't recognized him at first because he had cut is hair, and it now looked something like Noah's hair style, with out the difference in color between the bangs and the rest of his hair. He had started his own company with the help of Industrial Illusions. Then when he had gotten enough of a grasp and made something of his business he had separated from I.I. and work on his own. Then in the last few months Devlin Inc. had been teaming up with Kaiba Corp. to work on a new line of virtual game pods. With both companies combined technology they had made a lot of startling improvements to the holographic gaming world.

"What do you need Mr. Devlin. I told you that Kaiba Corp. would be sending you the reports on the pods in three weeks. Do you not think that we would keep deal with you?" Hailey asked her voice dripping with icicles and anger. She had not wanted to deal with much today, and now she had to deal with this.

"I needed to give you the latest information on the game pods that my company has come up with. We have made some changes in the technology that was combined and I was hoping that you would look at it to make sure that it was also up to your standards as well as Mr. Mokuba Kaiba." Duke said hurriedly as he pulled a small disk out of his coat pocket. He handed it over to the young female CEO, who took it with a sharp flick of the wrist.

"Mokuba has given the project fully to me to take care of. He has taken the Duel Disk Four project instead of this. What ever you where working on with Mokuba you are now working on with me." Hailey said smoothly. She looked over to her personal secretary. "Arrange for a meeting with Devlin Inc.'s board of directors on this project with me next Friday afternoon at two-thirty. Is that all right with you Mr. Devlin?" Hailey asked as she walked towards her office door.

"Yes Mrs. Kaiba. That's fine. Oh and can I talk to you in private for a moment before I leave?" Duke said as he made to follow his former friend.

"Fine," Hailey replied as she opened the door to her office and walked into the spacious office with Duke at her heels. He closed the door behind him. Hailey sat down behind her desk and looked coldly at Duke as he fiddled with his thumbs.

"Nice place," he commented, plopping onto one of her seats.

"What ever you want to say you better say it quickly. You have two minutes before security arrives."

He gapped at her indignantly. "Fine, but I did come to help you."

"Help me with what?" she snapped, looking at her watch and counting the seconds. She scribbled a note to herself on a scratch piece of paper: 'Get a faster response team.'

"Your problem," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Hailey rolled her eyes. _'One minute,'_ she thought. "My only problem is that _**you** _are sitting in **_my_** office, interrupting **_my_** work. And that can be remedied easily as soon as **_you_** leave. Now would be good."

"Oh," he whined. "But Hale-"

Hailey rose quickly in a towering rage. He shrank back slightly as azure-blue eyes bored into him. "Don't you _ever_," she said, in a deadly whisper. "Ever call me that."

"But I-"

"Devlin, get out. NOW!"

"But I-"

"GET OUT! I never want to hear from you or any of the old gang for any reason other than direct business with my company!"

His eyes slowly filled with sadness and anger. "We were trying to change you back, Hailey." He took a shaky breath. "We wanted our friend back." He stood and his voice grew stronger, angrier. "We all never wanted it to be like this. And we never thought we'd have to be friends with Seto Kaiba when he was dead." He turned and walked to the door to the door and slammed it behind him as he left.

Hailey sat down at her desk a few minutes after Duke had left. This was just what she needed someone from her past haunting her now, five years after all that had happened. '_I wish it would all just stop. That they would leave me alone.'_ Hailey thought as she turned on her computer.

The Kaiba Corp. logo popped up and a login screen popped up asking for Hailey's identification and password. Her fingers flew on the keyboard as she went through the layers of her security and procedures. Finally she had her computer connected to the one at her home office. It was a new program she had designed not to long ago and she and Mokuba were the only one's who had access to it. The program made it easier for the both of them to work at home, so if they did anything important at either here at the office or at home they could access it at the other place.

Inserting the disk that Duke had given her, Hailey pulled up the files and diagrams. Pulling out her headset that allowed Hailey to control her computer with voice commands, she turned it on and placed on her head.

"Computer, send this information to my home computer, put a privacy lock on them as well." Hailey said as she walked over to the window and looked out at the storm still raging outside. Her body started to shake involuntarily as she just stood there. She remembered as she looked down at her clothes that she was still wearing the wet clothes from this morning. Hailey reached up to her ear and turned the power off in the headset, and pulled it off of her head. There came a buzz from her intercom.

"Mrs. Kaiba, your coffee's here, would you like for me to send it in?" came Tsubame's voice from the little speaker.

"Yes, and Tsubame, make sure that no one disturbs me for the remainder of the morning." Hailey replied tiredly into the device as she walked around her desk.

The door to her office opened up and a timid looking young man walked in, pushing a tray of coffee in front of him.

"You can leave that over by the couch, please." Hailey replied as she turned away from the man.

"Yes ma'am," the young man replied as he pushed the cart over to where his boss had told him to put it. Bowing slightly as he reached the door, he turned around and nearly flew out of the office.

Hailey walked over and poured herself a steaming cup of black coffee. She noticed by the aroma of the liquid that it was the caramel kind of coffee that she liked. Taking a sip of the hot liquid, Hailey felt her nerves quite down tenfold. Walking over to her bookshelf, Hailey searched the rows of the far right case, looking for something intently. Finding the right book, Hailey pulled slightly at the top of the book and the shelf moved backwards and a closet appeared. Going totally against her usual attire, Hailey pulled out a navy blue wool turtle neck shirt, and a pair of black fitted business pants. Quickly stripping out of her wet clothing and shoes, Hailey pulled the sweater over her head and pulled her hair out from the back. After pulling the pants on, she finally got a good look at herself. Her blue eyes looked tired and she had shadows under them. Vaguely on her forehead she saw faint stress lines creasing her tan skin. '_This is what it takes to run a company.'_ Hailey thought as she reached for the brush on the shelf to her right. Running the brush through her thick black hair, she saw her Egyptian beauty return to her face. Once satisfied with her hair, Hailey picked out a black full sleeved trench coat, and swung it around her body so she had her arms in the right places.

Stepping out the closet, Hailey turned around and re-hid the closet. Not many people knew that Seto had built a closet in his executive office.

Picking up her coffee again, Hailey walked over to her desk, and brought up all the information and data on the Duel Disk Four project. "I need to get this to Mokuba." Hailey said aloud as she sipped idly on the coffee. Turning on the headset again, Hailey placed it on her head.

"Computer send these files down to Mokuba Kaiba's computer here at work." Hailey said into the microphone.

"Right away, Mrs. Kaiba." The computer replied. After a few moments the computer talked again. "Files have been sent and received by Mokuba Kaiba."

"Good. Can you do a search on the company called 'Paladius' for me and have the results sent to my computer at home as well." Hailey asked.

"Searching. Eleven items have come up during the search. Sending to Hailey Kaiba's home office." The computer blipped.

"Thanks," Hailey retorted as she placed her coffee down next to her computer and started her research.

Hailey worked for three more hours on the information she had found on the company, Paladius.

1... Presidents name: Mr. Ariellus (A/N: I made that up!) Dartz

2... Location: California-Headquarters, other smaller branches around the world, some what like her own company

3... They had worked with Kaiba Corp. for a short time

4… Dartz had done some illegal work under her company's name

5... Seto had broken ties with him after that

6... They worked with technology and gaming tools like Kaiba Corp.

7… Dartz was known to have a temper at times

8... Some of his workers had mysteriously disappeared

9… Paladius had started business about the same time Kaiba Corp. had

10… Kaiba Corp. had become more successful than Paladius over the years, and no one really knew who they were.

As she was processing all of this, she kept recalling the dream that she had last night. All the information that she had gotten seemed to check out with the stuff she had seen last night. Dartz had done some inexcusable things under her company's name, and her husband hadn't like it. So he had let Dartz go.

Hailey got up and started to pace her office. The storm was still going outside her window, which was kind of odd, but it was the time of year when Japan most of its rain. All of the sudden Hailey felt very tired. '_I guess not getting enough sleep is catching up with me,'_ she thought as she walked over to one of the couches. Changing her mind she walked over to her bookshelf; she picked out a copy of _Romeo and Juliet_, which she had been reading over the last few weeks.Sitting down on the soft leather, Hailey put the book to her right and put her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands, feeling the weight of the stress that rested on her shoulders crash over her. Really with out knowing it, Hailey lay down on the couch and picked up the book and started to read. After about two hours she felt her eyes start to go fuzzy with sleep, so resting the book on her chest she closed her eyes. Within seconds she was asleep.

_Seto waited until he heard the front door slam shut, then he slumped to the floor of his office. He had been injured a little more than he had thought he had. He must have been sitting there for a few minutes before he heard the familiar click of heeled shoes on the marble floor in the front hall._

"_Seto, who was here a few minutes ago? I heard shouting…what on earth happened to you Seto?" Hailey said as she stepped in front of Seto's open office doors. All she saw was her husband slumped against the side of a couch in his office, bleeding from his nose and the corner of his mouth, and bruises all over his face and arms, and probably by the looks of his shirt, his chest and stomach as well._

"_Dartz…he…he came by after he found out that I had dropped my contract with his company, Paladius. He was mad, you could say. One moment we were talking and the next he had launched himself at me, and was punching every inch he could reach of my body." Seto answered in a hoarse whisper. He hadn't opened his eye while he told his story to Hailey and didn't look like he wanted to or was going to anytime soon. _

"_Well he did a pretty good job on beating you up. Let me guess you got him pretty good as well from the looks of your knuckles." Hailey said as she bent down and picked up her husbands bruised and bloodied hand. _

"_Yeah, I got him pretty good, I guess," Seto replied, amusement faint in his voice as he opened his eyes slowly. Hailey looked beautiful, worry clear in her azure-blue eyes, and a frown graced her lips. Funny how he found her to be beautiful at that moment, but he did. "Hailey, have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked as he brought his left hand up to cup her cheek._

"_Yeah, plenty of times, but it never gets old. You're pretty good-looking yourself, Mr. Kaiba." Hailey replied as she looked into Seto's deep navy blue eyes. _

_He could tell that she was actually telling the truth. She loved him no matter how bad he looked. "I love you Mrs. Kaiba, always have and always will."_

"_Same to you Mr. Kaiba. You are the light of my life, my love, now and forever." Hailey replied, gently brushing her lips on Seto's forehead. "Now, lets get you upstairs and in to bed."_

"_Hailey, I don't think I can make it up the stairs and up to the room." Seto replied as Hailey helped him stand up onto his two shaky legs._

"_Oh yes you will, I'm going to carry you up there." Hailey replied strongly. _

"_Hailey, I know your strong, but, you can't possibly carry me all the way upstairs. I'm heavier than you think." Seto replied shock clear in his voice._

"_Do you seriously think that I just sit at a computer and do nothing while you're away at work? Well think again, I've been working out in the gym for the last five months, every other day. I've gotten quite stronger since then." Hailey said as she crouched down in front of Seto. "Now get on."_

_Seto found out that she wasn't kidding when she said she had gotten stronger. He had carefully gotten onto her back, minding his weight, but when she felt his long legs grip her waist she wrapped her arms under his knee and around his legs and stood up swiftly. He had to quickly wrap his arms around her neck to keep from falling backwards onto the couch. _

_Hailey walked steadily out of the office, and towards the steps. Once Seto realized that Hailey wouldn't drop him, he rested his head on top of hers and relaxed, making his body go limp. _

_Hailey at once thought that he had passed out from the pain, but when she asked him if he was still with her, she got a muffled "yes", and this calmed her nerves. She made quick work of the stairs, and was at the top of the case in barely five minutes. "Hey, big guy, do you want to take a bath to help your muscles relax, before you go to sleep?" Hailey asked as she stopped in front of their room. _

"_Whatever you say, Doctor Kaiba." Seto replied jokingly. Hailey deposited him onto the bed and went into the master bath and turned the water on in the tub. She turned it up to warm so it would sooth and relax her husbands aching muscles. When she had filled it up she went back into the bedroom and found Seto lying face up on the bed, eyes closed._

"_Don't go to sleep yet, big boy, you still need to relax a little." Hailey said as she gently touched his shoulder. Seto opened his eyes, and pushed himself up slowly. _

"_I think I can walk to the bathroom doc," he said when she started to crouch down in front of him._

"_I'm only taking off your shoes, socks, and anything else you can't wear in the bath." Hailey answered as she removed one of his boots and then the other, followed by his socks. "Now be a good sport about it and let me help you."_

_She worked her way up to his belt buckle, the large silver Kaiba Corp. one he wore during Battle City, and undid the clasp. Hailey pulled the belt off of Seto's pants and then his pants followed shortly after. Though instead of removing his boxers next, she went up to his shirt and pulled it off in one fluid movement._

"_Mrs. Kaiba, you seem to be an expert at disrobing a person." Seto said jokingly as Hailey removed his card locket from around his neck._

"_You should know, I've done this more than once to you, Mr. Kaiba," she replied faking anger in her voice. "Now let's get you into that nice hot bath I prepared for you."_

_So she helped her almost naked husband to the master bath and sat him down on to the edge of the tub. "Hold on one moment, love, I just need to take care of a few things before you are allowed to relax." Hailey said as she pulled her shoes and shirt off, and then dropped her pants. "I hope you don't mind your help relaxing with you."_

"_I do mind if my help joins me, but I don't mind if my wife joins me, she's welcome in my bath any time," Seto said as he reached out and pulled Hailey towards him. He took the liberty to dispose the rest of her clothes. He undid the back of her bra and dropped it to the floor with the rest of her clothes. Then moving his hand down to her panties, he hooked his fingers under the band and slid the article of clothing down Hailey's legs and let it drop to the ground._

"_Now that I'm all ready for **your** bath, let's get you all ready, Mr. Kaiba." Hailey said as she stood there, naked in front of her husband._

"_Yes let's." Seto replied huskily._

_Hailey pulled down his boxers and tossed them haphazardly to the floor. "Now let's start relaxing."_

_She helped Seto over to the tub and actually picked him up and lowered him into the nice warm water. Once he was situated Hailey slid into the tub beside him. "Are you relaxed yet?" Hailey asked as she started to rub his chest languidly, resting her head on his shoulder._

_Seto wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and laid his head upon her head. "Yes, my love, I am very relaxed. Thank you," he replied as he moved her, so she lay across his chest. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Have we ever tried to 'relax' in the tub before?" _

"_No, why. Do you need to 'relax' more?" Hailey asked trying to sound innocent. It didn't work._

"_Yes, yes I do." Seto replied as he kissed her fully on the mouth. _

_They didn't get to bed until later that night, which suited the couple get fine. _

"Hailey? Hey, Hailey are you—," Mokuba hesitantly pushed the flat of his hand against the heavy door separating Hailey Kaiba's office from the rest of the Kaiba Corp. Headquarters. It was late at night, but Hailey was a workaholic if Mokuba ever knew one. Being one himself.

But this night, to his surprise, Hailey was not seated, eyes wide and staring at a blinking computer screen. Rather, her lanky form was spread out haphazardly on the nearby couch, a thick book resting face-down on her chest, her hand still fixed to the binding.

"Asleep?" Mokuba murmured breathlessly. "I guess that's a yes," he finished with a whisper.

He'd never seen her sleep at the office before; actually he had never seen her sleep out in the open before.

She looked so... calm.

This wasn't the same young woman who fought passionately and fiercely in each of her board meetings, the same woman that argued daily with corporate executives and employees, the sister-in-law who walked into every situation prepared, determined, and ready to come out victorious.

The way she was sprawled out on the couch, one would never guess that she was so intimidating during her waking hours. As she was, she seemed so... ordinary.

A relaxed face, with black bangs falling into closed eyes... she slept peacefully, her breathing even, and her face calm and neutral. Nightmares wouldn't haunt her sleep tonight. Nothing really ever conquered Hailey Kaiba...

'_I still envy her, I guess...'_ Mokuba realized, tilting his head as he examined Hailey. There'd never be another chance like this—never again. He was sure of it.

And yet... there didn't seem to be anything pressing on his mind. He just wanted to **be** there, and stay with her.

Maybe asleep, he could admit what he couldn't say at any other time. Maybe without needing to worry about her reaction, her response, or her feelings (or perhaps lack thereof), he could just... tell her.

"I want to thank you, Hailey," Mokuba began in a hushed voice, just above a whisper. Over the last seven years, Hailey had gone from just his older brother's girlfriend and then wife, to one of Mokuba's best friend, second to his older brother. But in that span of time, their relationship changed so permanently that anything else seemed wrong.

"For everything you've done. Sometimes it's been tough," Mokuba winced, remembering that particularly painful night after Seto had died, no had been murdered, "but we're both so much stronger because of it. During the hardest time in our life, you were there for me."

She remained sleeping. Her breath was warm, as Mokuba discovered in mute silence as he leaned over her face to brush a few stray bangs aside. Worry lines vaguely creased her forehead, sure to become deeper as the years passed—if Hailey Kaiba didn't change her daily regimen of stress and overworking herself.

"We're both crazy, you know that?" Mokuba sighed, flopping down on the floor beside the couch, his hand still running through Hailey's hair. It was surprisingly soft and fine, but it had a warm, almost spicy and sweet scent to it that coiled in the air about Mokuba, which reminded him slightly of his brother. To his surprise, Hailey made a slight noise—of agreement, maybe? It was half a moan and a sleepy murmur, but one that snapped Mokuba from his reverie. Sliding his hand away from her face, he realized Hailey still slept.

'_See what you become to me? No, you can't see, even when your eyes are open. You miss him as much as I do, and you probably see how much we've started to act like him. You miss his presence as much as I do as well. Maybe you don't **want** to see anymore, because it cause you so much pain…so much sadness... but maybe, just for one moment, you could see and realize...that maybe I miss him more'_

What a selfish thought.

No, they both missed him as much as the other did. Maybe Hailey missed him more than Mokuba did? She had fallen in love with him right off the bat and only known him for only two years after that. Mokuba had been with Seto his whole entire life, ten years more than Hailey.

Neither of them could breach that barrier between them that made them who they were.

But... if somehow, someway, that changed... then maybe Mokuba would have a reason to why they both changed the way they did. Beyond running the company and watching over Hailey like he had promised, he'd have a reason not to run away, but to face a new challenge head-on, and to...

'_Learn to love... again, maybe?'_

Maybe.

But until then, Hailey still slept. Mokuba smiled at her, his body warm and he noticed that her cheeks were a vague pink hue. He'd never see her face look like that when she was awake, but... who knew what Hailey Kaiba dreamt?

Mokuba tugged the knit blanket draped over the back of the couch across Hailey Kaiba's frame, up to her hand. Mokuba bent down and gently removed the book from Hailey's hand, careful to bookmark the page she was on before setting it aside on a nearby end table. It was quiet and warm in the office, and Mokuba supposed that it was more of a sanctuary for Hailey than her own bedroom, her own house could ever be. And if she could truly find rest and relaxation in this office, then he wouldn't take that away from her.

"Good night, Hailey," Mokuba whispered, pressing his lips to Hailey's forehead. Moments later, he stepped away from her, willing the ache in his chest to subside. He took one last lingering glance at the sleeping Hailey before flicking the light in the office out, closing the door with a gentle click.

Hailey woke up nine hours later and found out that it was one o'clock in the morning. She had never stayed this late at work. Gathering up her papers and everything else she needed to take home with her, Hailey closed her briefcase, and exited her office. Closing her door she noticed a note on her secretary's desk with her name on it. Though it wasn't Tsubame's hand writing, this was more elaborate and elegant looking. It was also done with a calligraphy pen from what Hailey could tell by the line thickness and thinness. Picking the letter up, Hailey opened it and read:

_Dear Mrs. Kaiba,_

_You might be wondering what I meant in our little chat yesterday. Well here's what I really wanted to tell you: _

Your new family has scorned me for the last time and one of the ones you love has already been taken care of.

The others will pay soon enough

And finally you will be left alone in this world with out the comfort of the people you love.

_Yes Mrs. Kaiba, I dealt with your husband. So be warned. Your husband was foolish man and he made a foolish mistake, which cost him his life. Hopefully you, your brother-in-law, or your family won't make the same mistake._

_Good day, Mrs. Kaiba._

"What…what the hell!" Hailey cried as she read through the letter a few times. Pulling out her cell phone, she started to dial Tsubame's cell number and paused before she hit the call button. It was late at night and Tsubame was probably asleep. This barely crossed Hailey's mind as she pressed the phone buttoned.

"Tsubame, this is Mrs. Kaiba, at Kaiba Corporation. I need to speak to you right away when I get into work tomorrow, right away. It's very urgent. Good night." Hailey said into the phone quickly then hung up. Flipping the phone closed, Hailey turned on her heal, and the note still clutched in her left hand, and left her office. Entering the elevator, and quietly taking it down to the garage of the large building, Hailey kept running that one sentence from the letter through her mind, '_Yes Mrs. Kaiba, I dealt with your husband'. _What the hell did that mean? _Dealt with her husband_!

Hailey was about to enter the garage when she heard the rustle of movement behind her. Ignoring the sound completely, she started to move through the rows in search for her car. Then suddenly someone spoke.

"Freeze! You're under arrest for trespassing after business hours," the guard practically yelled at her as he turned his flashlight on trying to get a good look at her, stunner raised and ready to fire.

"If you value your job here, I suggest that you watch your mouth." Hailey said in a deathly tone as she turned around and face the guard. Her eyes flashed with a dangerous fire, which told the man that he should probably shut up. The light shone in her eyes giving her an even scarier look than what was intended.

"Mrs. Kaiba, I'm sorry. I didn't know that you where still here. Forgive me for my insubordination," the guard stuttered as he quickly bowed his head in embarrassment, realizing that he had nearly stunned his boss. He lowered the stun gun and turned the safety back on.

"Continue with your job, and leave me be," Hailey answered as she turned back around and marched towards her car, trench coat flying behind her like her husbands used to.

'_She's almost like the late Mr. Kaiba himself when she acts and walks like that,'_ the guard thought as he watched his employer stalk away from him.

Hailey drove quickly home after she left headquarters. She just needed to get home and away form the city. Hailey was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't see the car coming from the other direction until it was a mere meter from her. Slamming on her brakes Hailey tried to stop, but it was too late. The two cars crashed into each other. All Hailey saw before she passed out was the blinding light of the other cars headlights and the feeling of a thousand knives pressing into her body. Then nothingness.

Mokuba was awakened by an annoying ringing in his left ear. Finally he realized that it was his cell phone, and he quickly picked it up and flipped it open.

"Kaiba, here. What is it?" Mokuba answered gruffly into the phone.

"Mr. Kaiba, this is Sergeant Kazukai, from the Domino Police Department. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Mrs. Kaiba's been in an accident."

'_Oh no, not again. Not her, I can't— I can't lose her. What will I do? What's happened? What can I do? Can I even do anything? Is she—' _Mokuba though quickly his stomach turning.

"Mr. Kaiba?" Kazukai's voice came back through the line, sounding a bit concerned. He didn't hear any vocal response— but he could just barely make out the sound of his breathing, soft and quick. He was afraid to ask what he so desperately wanted to know, so Kazukai had to just **tell** him.

"She's alive, Mr. Kaiba, but…"

"Oh, thank goodness."

The breath Mokuba didn't know he's been holding for the past few moments rushed out of him, and his skin slowly returned to its natural color. "Is she all right? What happened? Where is she?"

Kazukai chuckled under his breath, glad to hear Mokuba speaking again— once again, focused, determined, and above all else, concerned.

"She was in a car accident, I'm sorry to say," Kazukai began. "I know what you're thinking, but it really **was** just an accident, Mister Kaiba. We had several eyewitnesses, and another driver involved… in any case, Mrs. Kaiba is here at the Domino Prefecture Memorial Hospital. She's alive but she is in very critical condition. The accident was a very serious one, both drivers are seriously hurt."

A thought occurred to Mokuba, and that smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. He lowered his voice to a whisper, afraid of what he was about to ask and the answer he would receive.

"She's not in a coma or anything, right? She doesn't have amnesia, or internal bleeding, or—,"

"Like I said, Mister Kaiba, she's in a critical condition, but the doctors have her in a stable state. You really ought to come in— I think. Just for support since you're the only family she has left in this country (the Ishtar's moved back to Egypt)."

Mokuba sensed an odd sort of implication in Kazukai's voice, but it obviously wasn't the kind of thing the police officer was going to explain over the phone. A brief scene played out in his head, of Hailey throwing everything from an IV machine to a bedpan at any nurses or doctors who tried to approach her, or any police officers that tried to question her, well if she was awake. He sweatdropped, laughing softly under his breath.

Maybe it was a good idea to visit…

Mokuba arrived at the hospital in record time after he had gotten dressed and left the mansion. He had to make sure Hailey was alright so he wasn't breaking his promise that he had made to his brother all those years ago at his funeral.

"Pardon me." Mokuba asked as he approached the receptionist's desk. When she turned, the expression on her face was genuinely surprised.

"I'm here to see Hailey Kaiba."

"Relation?" the receptionist inquired automatically, her voice a dull monotone.

"I'm her brother-in-law." Mokuba replied, fear edging his voice. The receptionist, despite not making eye contact with Mokuba, nodded and scribbled this down.

She shuffled through a thin file on the far end of her desk and looked back up at him.

"Intensive Care Unit, room 1025," was all the receptionist said, and then she turned back around and went back to whatever it was she was doing before.

Mokuba cast an angry stare at the woman's back, but he didn't start a fight for fear that the woman would call the hospital security.

Mokuba turned towards the stark white double doors marked with the simple placard: "Intensive Care Unit".

The halls at the hospital seemed to stretch on forever, an almost endless expanse of white walls and speckled tiles. It was very late at night, and there seemed to be very few people in the halls, and all the doors to individual hospital rooms were closed off and their tiny windows shut; there was no way to know if or when anyone would come out from one of those doors.

However, the moment Mokuba reached the 1000 block of rooms; he knew he was getting close. Mokuba felt a slightly sinking sensation in his stomach as he turned into the hall

Mokuba stared at the room marked '1025' but there was no nearby paperwork or letter board to indicate that Hailey Kaiba was inside. He put his hand on the door with the intention of knocking and then entering, but he nearly stumbled forward when the door opened from the inside.

The young man found himself awkwardly pressed against the rather warm chest of a white-coated individual wearing a long stethoscope. When Mokuba finally regained his balance and his composure, he stared down at the doctor he'd fallen into: a young woman with ebony hair and a perfectly white smile.

"Why, hello there."

"Uh—" Mokuba felt her cheeks burn slightly, but before he could fumble with an excuse for his sudden bout of clumsiness, the doctor shook Mokuba's right hand.

"You must be Mokuba Kaiba. I'm Dr. Mazakai. I'm Mrs. Kaiba's doctor." Dr. Mazakai said as she pulled her hand away from Mokuba's and flipped through her notes. "I was wondering if Mrs. Kaiba was going to get any of her family in here tonight, since the accident happened so late in the night and I didn't know if anyone knew who to contact."

"Sergeant Kazukai called," Mokuba explained, a faint blush still covering his cheeks. "I had came as soon as possible."

"Your sister-in-law?" the doctor asked as she tapped a pen on his clipboard.

"Ah, yes, she married my older brother," Mokuba explained hurriedly, looking around her to the still form of Hailey's battered body. "Could you please tell me what's wrong with her?"

"First off, she was in a very serious car crash. Her right leg and left arm are badly broken, and her left shoulder also received some bad damage, dislocated and bruised severely. Luckily her spine and neck weren't badly hurt. She only slightly sprained her neck, that's the reason for the neck brace. Mrs. Kaiba did receive a pretty bad concussion, and there are numerous cuts from the broken glass from both cars. Luckily as well, there were no internal problems, and she only had to have simple surgery on her leg and arm because of the fractures. Her shoulder just needed to be relocated and wrapped up. The cut's weren't as bad as we originally thought since there was a lot of blood, but even though they weren't bad there are still scores of them all over her body. We've got her on an IV, and are giving her blood transfusions as we speak. Mrs. Kaiba lost a lot of blood, so we need to get more into her body." Dr. Mazakai read off of her clipboard, and them looked up at Mokuba.

"Mrs. Kaiba will need to stay here for several days, but after that, she'll be all yours."

"Thank you," Mokuba replied as he moved toward the chair next to Hailey's bed.

"Well then, I'll leave you and your sister-in-law alone for a while, Mr. Kaiba," the doctor said as she turned and walked out of the door. "Good night."

"G-Good night…"

"Hailey, why did you get yourself into this mess? You were already having a hard enough time as it is. Now you've landed your self in a hospital room for awhile." Mokuba said after a few minutes of watching his sister-in-law. He had promised his big brother that he would watch after Hailey and here she was screwed up and lying unconscious in a hospital bed. "I messed this one up big brother, I'm sorry."

He reached for Hailey's lifeless hand and took it in his warm one. He remembered when Seto had been put in the hospital once, back before Duelist Kingdom. Yami had put him in some sort of comma, and it had taken weeks for Seto to even regain some sort of living signs. Mokuba had been so scared that time, and now that his only remaining family was lying half dead in front of him, and he could do nothing but hope and pray that she would awaken soon.

"Big sister Hailey, how could I have let this happen to you? I should have woken you up when I came into your office tonight. I should have told you to go home and rest there and not let you stay at work and work yourself into this state. I knew that you had been working yourself too hard for awhile now, but I thought that you liked working. I…I…I thought that it would keep your mind off of big brother. I knew that you were still really upset by the fact that he was gone, I know how you feel. You cry at night sometimes, I've heard you before. I wish that I could help you more, but it's just as hard for me as it was, is, for you." Mokuba said as he looked into Hailey's placid face. She looked like she was just sleeping. As Mokuba looked at her face, he saw so much of his big brother reflected in her features. They both had grown into the mold of the Kaiba family. Tall, good looking, and cold as ice. It really didn't suit either of them, but somehow it did.

"I miss him so much. I never told you how much until now. It, well, he still haunts me at time. In my dreams, at work, and even when I'm thinking about something completely different. I wish I could go back to that little kid I was all those years ago and grow up differently, or maybe handle the grief differently. I always looked up to you when I saw how you handled how you felt. Masking your emotions to make me feel better. I watched you at the funeral; you were so brave and strong for the sake of everyone else, not letting your emotions get the better of you. I think that's when I first noticed the change in you Hailey. You were acting like big brother then by not showing how you really felt. I wished that I could have been like you that day." Mokuba whispered as he felt a tear slowly fall down his face.

He reached out and ran his hand over her bruised and cut cheek. She shouldn't have taken over Kaiba Corporation; the company should have gone to the next male in the Kaiba family. Though Hailey had forbidden the company's board of directors to put the grieving twelve year old in charge of a multi-billion dollar company. They had asked who then would take charge of the company, if not Mokuba. There was no one else eligible for the position. She had replied coldly, almost Seto like, that they were forgetting the other member of the dwindling Kaiba family; herself. Finally they had agreed that Hailey could take over the company as the CEO and President, were Mokuba would become the vice president at age fifteen. Hailey had willing given up her freedom to give Mokuba a chance to be a normal teenager, but he had pushed aside that gift and became a cold and reclusive as Hailey had. He had thrown her sacrifice aside like it was a piece of trash. Realizing this Mokuba covered his face with his hand and let the tears that he had been holding back for so long flow from his stormy blue eyes.

"Hailey, I'm sorry for that choice that I made. You tried to protect me from becoming the exact opposite of what I wanted to become, but I threw that chance away. I'll try to make thing better again, for the both of us. We'll get through this, and we'll both be stronger because of it." Mokuba chocked out as the tears flowed rapidly down his face.

Suddenly he saw how close he had come to losing his only family. The crash could have killed Hailey. Mokuba fell forward onto Hailey's stomach and hugged his sister-in-law as tightly as he could without hurting her already fragile form. Sobbing in the bed sheets, Mokuba's breathing steadied and slowed as exhaustion and sadness crashed over the teen. For the first time in along time, he fell asleep as the young Mokuba Kaiba from five years ago, a scared child in a seventeen year old body.

The nurse came in; about an hour after Mokuba had arrived at the hospital, to check on Hailey. What she found shocked her. She had heard and seen that the Kaiba's were a cold and fearful family, but what she saw was an injured and unconscious young lady, and a seventeen year old boy draped over her middle fast asleep with an almost childish calm expression on his face.

"Dr. Mazakai, come quickly!" she called quietly, not wanting to wake the two other people in the room.

"What is it?" Mazakai said as she came into the room, a worried expression on her face.

"Look at them; you would never know that they were so intimidating when they were awake. Do you think we should wake the boy?" the nurse asked as she looked to the doctor.

"No, but we'll have him moved to the bed next to hers, go get some of the guys in here to help me move him." Mazakai replied as she looked at the Kaiba's.

A few moments past before the other guys returned to the room. "Hold on, let me do something," Mazakai said as she stepped in front of the male nurses.

"Mokuba…Mokuba, are you there?" she asked as she gently put her hand on his shoulder.

The young man opened his eyes half way and turned his head slightly to look up at the doctor. He shook his head up and down to show that he had heard her. His eyes though didn't hold the coldness that they once had. He had that child like innocence back in his stormy blue eyes.

"Mokuba, we're going to move you to the bed next to your sister-in-laws, so you'll be more comfortable." Mazakai told the teen as she pulled her hand away from his shoulder and made way for the nurses. They lifted the teen up gently and carried him to the bed next to Hailey's. Mazakai motioned for them to get out of the way, and she walked up to the side of the bed. Mokuba had curled up into a ball on his right side facing Hailey. She unfolded the blue fleece blanket that she had picked up, and draped it over the teen's lanky body. "Sleep well, Mr. Kaiba. Call for me if you need anything." Mazakai said as she bent down and pressed a warm kiss to the boy's forehead. She pulled away and was met with the stares of the nurses in the room.

"Doctor what was that about, you kissing him like you did?" one of them asked.

"He's a scared little boy on the inside, he needs all the comfort he can get. No one seems to realize how much pain and grief these two must have gone through after they lost the late Mr. Kaiba. It's the least that I can do to help one of them." She answered as she walked to the door. "Make sure no one bothers them."

"Yes, doctor."

Several days later Hailey came home from the hospital. She had gotten the neck brace off two days earlier, but still had to wear the wrist and ankle brace for her right arm and left leg. As for the casts, they would come off in about six weeks.

Hailey had noticed a change in Mokuba from the moment she had regained consciousness. He seemed more like the young boy she had met all those years ago. The Mokuba Kaiba that she had wanted to protect five years ago. It was a relief to see that her choice of becoming the President of Kaiba Corporation had been a good one. For a time she had thought all hopes of him returning to normal had been lost, but form the looks of it he was somewhat back to normal. Though she knew that she would never go back to being that innocent and feisty young woman from the past. The change had been permanent for her, no matter how hard she had tried to prevent it, which in all honesty had been a very poor effort.

While at home she had to use a wheel chair, which annoyed to the crap out of her, but mostly she spent all her time lying in bed asleep trying to regain her feeble strength. Though everyday she got stronger than the day before.

In two weeks time she was able to take the braces of her wrist and ankle. All of her cuts had almost healed and most of the bruises had disappeared. Mokuba had set up a place in her room a so she could still work on the designs and mechanics of the game pods she was working on. Though he would only let her work on those for about an hour or so each day. Even though he kept telling her not to work herself into a rut, she still kept trying to work longer each time.

"Hailey, you might over work something if you put to much stress on yourself. Devlin Inc. was informed of your accident and said it was fine if you take a break from the agenda." Mokuba said after an hour of griping with his wounded sister-in-law.

"Mokuba, for the hundredth time, I'm okay. You heard what the doctor said yesterday. My arm has healed faster than what they had thought it would, and I can get the cast off tomorrow. The only thing wring with me right now is my leg, and I don't need that for working on the project, unless I decide to type with my toes." Hailey cried as she wrenched her laptop back from her brother-in-law. She loved that he had gone back somewhat to how he had used to act, but all she wanted to do was work on the project to get it over with.

"Fine, do whatever you want, Hale. It's clear that what I'm saying won't make a difference in you decision. Just don't get to worked up alright." Mokuba said as he threw his hands up into the air in surrender. He bent down and placed a kiss to the top of her head and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Left in the quite of her room, Hailey worked for a few minutes, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Though she suddenly lost interest in her work and turned the TV on and watched the evening news until she fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Hailey went to the doctors to get her cast on her arm taken off. When she arrived she was greeted by the ever hyper nurse, who wheeled her to Dr. Mazakai's office. The doctor was sitting behind her desk, in deep conversation with the man in front of her, who was also sitting in a wheelchair. From what Hailey could see at her position in her chair, the young man had two broken legs and his right arm was in a sling.

"Mr. Wheeler, I told you, I can't take your cast off until later today, I have a private appointment with someone and I can't reschedule." Dr. Mazakai told the man.

Hailey suddenly knew who he was. Tristan Taylor. She hadn't seen him for almost five years. Why was he all was banged up like she was? Was he in an accident as well? His must have happened around the same times of her accident if he was coming in and asking to get his cast removed. Then something clicked in her mind. All she had been told about the other driver was that he had been drunk and had been injured just as bad as she had. No one had told her the identity of the guy who had done this to her.

"You…you were the one who did this to me!" Hailey cried from the doorway causing both Tristan and Dr. Mazakai to look up suddenly.

"Why Mrs. Kaiba I didn't expect you for another five minutes." Dr. Mazakai said as she looked over Tristan's shoulder and at Hailey.

"Were you the one that crashed into me Taylor?" Hailey asked coldly, her eyes blazing with fury while her face remained impassive. Though that only lasted shortly. Her anger rushed forward in waves as she looked at the man who had enabled her crippled for the last few weeks.

"Hailey Kaiba…, is that you?" Tristan asked as he turned his wheelchair around. His look of shock quickly turned into a look of cold hate. Hailey had landed him unemployed a few years ago, and by the looks of it, he hadn't really forgiven her for it. "Kaiba, I have no idea what you're talking about, me crashin' into you. I'd say that you were the one that crashed inta me. Learn how to drive." Tristan retorted in the same hatred filled voice he used to use when he talked to Seto.

Hailey was shock and hurt that Joey had called her by her last name like he had done with Seto. She and Tristan had been friends before Seto had died, but no matter, if he wanted to play games and wound her pride, then she would wound his right back. "I know how to drive, rhino-head. Maybe you should learn that you shouldn't drink and drive, it could get you killed. Though by the looks of it the cost of your medical bill might do that for you." Hailey sneered out as she looked at Joey with just as much fury as he was looking at her.

"Just because you're stinkin' rich doesn't mean we all are, Kaiba." Tristan replied sounding a little hurt that his old friend had called him "rhino-head". He had hated it when Kaiba had done that to him, but now Hailey, it sort of hurt.

"Umm…are you two finished? Cause if not, Mrs. Kaiba I could reschedule your appointment for some time else." Mazakai said as she watched the young man and woman fight.

"No that won't be necessary, doctor. The rhinoceros and I are finish, well at least I am. I really don't like wasting time arguing with people that really don't matter." Hailey replied coldly as she maneuvered her chair to face the desk.

"KAIBA! ARE YOU THAT CONCIEDED? SINCE WHEN HAVE I NOT MATTERD TO YOU OR YOUR FAMILY? I WAS THERE FOR YOU AND MOKUBA WHEN YOU NEEDED HELP! HOW CAN I GO FROM THAT TO MEANING SO LITTLE TO YOU? SINCE WHEN HAVE THE DEAD CAME BACK TO LIFE, BECAUSE I WOULD SWEAR THAT SETO KAIBA WAS SITTING RIGHT IN FRONT ME AND NOT HAILEY KAIBA!" Tristan yelled as he started blankly at Hailey fire burning in his brown eyes.

"What…what are you talking about?" Hailey stammered as tears started to well up in her cold blue eyes. Why wouldn't anyone leave her alone on the fact that her husband was dead? Couldn't they just let her forget about it and him?

"YOU'RE ACTING JUST LIKE KAIBA, DON'T YOU SEE. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KIND HEARTED YOUNG LADY I MET ALL THOSE YEARS AGO AT THE START OF THE BATTLE CITY TOURNAMENT? YOU'VE TURNED INTO A COLD HEARTED WOMAN, WHO'S SHUT THE WORLD AND THE FRIENDS WHO LOVE HER OUT. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU HAILEY?" Tristan yelled again, his face red from it and his anger.

"SHE DIED FIVE YEARS AGO TAYLOR. THE HAILEY KAIBA YOU ONCE KNEW HAS BEEN GONE FOR FIVE LONG YEARS; SHE DIED WHEN MY HUSBAND DIED. RUNNING KAIBA CORPORATION HAPPENED TO ME, RHINO-HEAD." Hailey yelled as her eyes turned from heated hatred to deathly cold hatred as she looked at the young man. Anyone else would have cowered away from her at that moment, but Joey was used to that look from Seto from all those years of dislike between them. "AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHO I AM NOW, THAN JUST LEAVE ME ALONE. I ALREADY TOLD THE REST OF THE OLD GANG TO LEAVE ME ALNOE SO NOW I'M TELLING YOU. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Alright, you two break it up. I will not allow this in my office. If you want to continue this argument, take it outside, but you've both already wasted enough of _my _time. Nurse, please take Mr. Taylor to the front desk and help him get an appointment scheduled so he can come in and get his cast removed from his arm." Mazakai said in a quite but hard voice. The nurse came up behind Tristan's chair and pushed him hurriedly out of the office.

As soon as he was gone, Hailey suddenly burst into tears, not caring that she was crying in front of someone in a public place.

"Mrs. Kaiba are you okay? Do you need me to get you anything?" Mazakai asked in now gentle voice. She placed her hand on Hailey's shoulder, but Hailey pulled away.

"I want you to get this cast of my arm and then I want to leave this place." Hailey ground out as she wiped her hand over her eyes and the cold blazing look returned to her eyes, and her impassive expression returned to her face.

Mazakai wheeled Hailey out of her office and into an examination room a few doors down from her office. She helped Hailey onto the examination table and started to swab a place on her arm. "I'm going to numb your arm up before I start to take the cast off." Dr. Mazakai said as she reached over for a needle. Quickly she poked Hailey in the arm and injected the medicine into her arm. After a few moments she felt her arm go numb.

Mazakai picked up a small saw and proceed to saw off the cast that had encased Hailey's arm for so long. About twenty minutes later the cast had come off and Hailey got the first sight of her arm in a long while. It had sort of shrunk and it was the palest Hailey had ever seen her skin.

"Now that you got that cast off we can start you on using crutches. Today might not be the best day for you to start, because you can't feel you arm at the moment, but, I could still send them with you for you to use tomorrow or when ever you want to start using them." Mazakai said as she helped Hailey back into the chair. She walked over to a cabinet, and slid a card through the card reader near the handles. The light turned green and the cabinet doors opened. She pulled out a pair of crutches and walked over to Hailey. "I need to see if these will work for you."

Helping Hailey up once more, she placed the top parts of the crutches under Hailey's arms. Surprisingly, Mazakai had picked the right size on her first try. Hailey started to practice walking around the room for the first time in along time. It felt odd, being upright again, but it was a welcomed feeling. Though the pain shot up through Hailey's wrist and she dropped the crutch in her left hand and stumbled to the bed so she could sit down and rest.

"Doctor, what was that all about, I thought you had said that my arm was fully healed. If so, why then did my arm just feel as though I had just broken it all over again?" Hailey asked a few minutes later after the pain had subsided to a dull throb.

"Well it might be because you haven't used those muscles for a while, and the muscles aren't used to the weight of your body. Or it might be that the bone is still weak and fragile from the healing process, which I'm guessing is the problem. We'll put you in a brace for a week or two so the bones can get stronger and they can get used to the work again." Mazakai said as she took a brace out of the cabinet where the crutches had come from. She walked back to Hailey and firmly strapped the brace around her wrist. "I suggest that you stay off the wrist for about a day before you even attempt to use your arm again, just to make sure that you won't permanently damage the bones or muscles."

"Fine." Hailey answered as she allowed the doctor to wheel her out of the examination room. "If you could just call my driver for me I'll let you have the chair back today. I have enough people to help me get around without that stupid thing." Hailey said as she waited by the front door of the hospital.

Mazakai went over to the nurse's station and told on of the interns to go and find Hailey's driver. With one look at the injured CEO, the intern hurried away.

Five minutes later a black limo pulled up to the front of the building and a muscular man stepped out of the passenger side. He had a dark complexion and an odd tattoo on the right side of his face.

"Greeting, Mistress Hailey. I've come to help." the stranger said as he bowed slightly at the waist in front of Hailey's chair.

"Hello Odion." Hailey replied weakly, looking relieved at the sight of her caretaker. "Dr. Mazakai, this is my caretaker, and dear old friend, Odion. He has watched over my brother, sister, and I from the day of our births. I trust him with my life, so don't worry about him."

"I'll be taking my mistress if you please." Odion said as he walked up to the side of Hailey's chair and bent over her. "Mistress, please take hold of my neck."

Hailey lifted her arms and wrapped them firmly around Odion's tanned neck. He slipped on hand behind her back and the other one under her knees. Standing up, he held Hailey bridal style, and she rested her head against his shoulder, like she had done when she had received the tomb keeper's initiation, like her sister and brother before her.

"Thank you for taking so good of Lady Hailey for me," Odion said as he faced Mazakai, and bowed his head slightly to the stunned young woman. He lifted his head up and turned around and carried the young CEO out to the limo. The driver opened the door for him and he slid in, still holding Hailey

"Odion, thank you so much for coming. I tried calling last week but no one answered the home phone, so I didn't leave a message. I had no idea that you would so quickly. I mean I only called yesterday. Did Mokuba send a jet out for you?" Hailey asked as they drove back to her mansion.

"Your brother-in-law did offer to send a jet for us, but Master Marik declined him. We came on out own private jet." Odion said as he gently stroked her hair. He hadn't held his youngest charge like this since her husband had died. The anniversary of Seto Kaiba's murder was coming up now that he thought of it. Next Thursday to be precise.

"You guys have a jet?" Hailey asked astonishment plain in her voice. She had known her birth family wasn't poor, but to find out that they had bought a private jet just out of the blue shocked her. That sounded more like a thing she would now do.

"We had been saving up for awhile, and finally last year we were able to buy a pretty up-to-date one that even you would be proud of. I think we might have bought it off of one of Kaiba Corps. Sub companies." Odion said as they pulled up onto the drive way.

"Are Marik and Ishizu here as well? I'd like to see them." Hailey asked as Odion as he opened the door and held his arm our for her, helping her out of the limo.

"Your brother and sister are going to be arriving here in about three hours. I had the jet sent back to Egypt to go and pick them up. They wanted me here so I could look after you." Odion replied as he picked Hailey up again. She was lighter then she had been in ages, which was scary for the Egyptian man. His mistress had always been petite, but it was alarming how skinny she had gotten. Minding her leg cast, Odion slid out of the car and brought his mistress with him.

As the two approached the house, Mokuba ran out to meet them, his maroon coat flying out behind him. "Odion, thank goodness you got to her in time!" he cried when he met the two Egyptians.

"Master Mokuba, your sister-in-law was waiting somewhat patiently for me when I arrived, well summoned. I was in the limo when an intern came to get us. Mistress Hailey is allowed to use the crutches starting tomorrow, and _not a minute later_." Odion replied and said the last part looking directly at the young woman in his arms. "Right Mistress Hailey?"

"Yes." Hailey gritted out, glaring at the ground.

Seeing the disgust in Hailey's reaction, Mokuba chuckled slightly under his breath, though Hailey heard him and glared at him making him back away slightly in fear. Though her glare was broken by one of the largest yawns Mokuba had ever seen. Hailey must have realized this as well, because she turned a fain shade of pink and turned her head towards Odion's chest.

"Come on Odion. Lets get Hailey up to bed; she's had a long day." Mokuba said quietly leading the Egyptian man into the house and up to Hailey's large second-master bed room.

Placing her down on the bed and taking her shoes off, Odion and Mokuba tucked Hailey into bed and told her that she was under no circumstances to touch the game pod project. Mokuba turned the television on and the two men left the wounded young woman to herself.

"Mokuba, would you mind going to the airport for me to pick up Master Marik and Mistress Ishizu? I would like to keep an eye on Mistress Hailey for the time being." Odion asked as he helped Mokuba clean up the kitchen. They had ordered Chinese (**A/N: I know that they're in Japan and should be eating Japanese, but I really want Chinese at the moment so they're going to eat whatever I say. Live with it!**).

"I suppose. Where are they going to be coming in?" Mokuba replied taking his coat off the hanger by the garage and throwing it around his shoulders.

"Gate seventeen. Their plane should be arriving in about ten minutes." Odion answered, picking up the tray of food they had prepared for Hailey.

"Got it, gate seventeen, ten minutes." Mokuba recited. He took a set of keys off the wall and twirled them around his finger. "I guess this mean's I have an excuses to drive the new Mercedes!"

Mokuba reached the gate just as the two Egyptians entered the terminal. He realized that his brother and sister-in-law hadn't seen him since he was thirteen, so they wouldn't recognize him unless they had seen him on the news, but that had been last year and his hair had grown some since then (**A/N: If any of you have seen teenage Priest Seto in the Dawn of the Duel series you know how long his hair was then and that's about the length of Mokuba's hair, only Mokuba's is jet black**).

He quickly grabbed a napkin and unfolded it and scrawled 'Ishtar' darkly on it and raced back to the gate. He held his sign up and it quickly got Ishizu's attention and she nudged her brother in the ribs and pointed in Mokuba's direction. Marik turned and waved and Mokuba ran to meet his other family.

When Mokuba reached them, he pulled both Ishizu and Marik into a big bear hug. "I've missed you both so much. You have no idea how bad it is to handle an injured Kaiba/Ishtar. I nearly thought Hailey was going to drive us both insane!" Mokuba exclaimed as he pulled away from the two older people.

"We've missed you to Mokuba, both you and Hailey. How's she doing?" Ishizu replied as she wrapped her arm around Mokuba's shoulders and her other one around her brother's. Mokuba and Marik picked the bags off the ground and the three walked out to the car.

"Well, you sort of have to be around her a lot to know that she's not doing okay on the inside, but on the outside aside from the broken leg and arm brace, she's alright. But I know her better than that. She hates being useless like this. My brother was never out of commission like this and it's killing her that she's weak." Mokuba replied looking down as he said this.

"Hailey always did look up to your brother's work ethic. Even before they hooked up, she worked like him. Determined, concentrated, on task. She was a Kaiba before she even knew it." Marik replied.

"I guess your right Marik, though I wish she could go back to being her old self. I have." Mokuba answered. He was hoping that the Ishtar's had noticed the change in his attitude from the last time they had been together.

"I thought there was something different about you Mokuba. I didn't feel like I was crossing a serious line like before." Ishizu said cheerfully.

"It's good to know that our little brother-in-law is back to being somewhat of himself." Marik joked. "Now all that's left is Project Hailey!"

Mokuba opened the trunk and placed the bags in carefully and then opened the door for Ishizu, being a gentleman. Marik helped himself and opened the passenger side door in the front and climbed in. Mokuba sat behind the wheel and took a deep breath. He had never driven with this many people in the car before, it was scary. But he got them all home safely and in one piece.

Odion greeted them at the front door and took the Ishtar's bags up to their rooms. They all met in the library when he got back.

"Mistress Hailey fell asleep about ten minutes ago. You can look in on her if you want, just don't make noise. I want her to get her rest." Odion told the family as they all looked at him expectedly.

"Of course Odion, we'll only stop in for a few minutes and then, we'll let her sleep." Ishizu said as she led the way up the marble stair case. Marik and Mokuba just looked at each other and watched the older woman make her way up the stairs.

Ishizu had only been in the Kaiba mansion once before and now she was walking around like she owned the place. In any other circumstance it would have been a funny thing to mention, but both men feared that if they upset the older woman she might just hurt them.

"Ishizu, it's the second door on the right hall on the left side of the hall." Mokuba called after her as he hurried to catch up with the Egyptian woman.

Turning on her heel, Ishizu quietly open the door of Hailey's room and peered in at her sleeping sister. Hailey was lying on her back, covered in an almost blackish blue silk comforter, in the center of the bed. Her face for once in along time looked peaceful. A thin scar ran from a about a centimeter or so above her left eyebrow, through the brow, and continued slightly along the far side of her cheek (like Anakin's in the Revenge of the Sith). It kind of gave her a more menacing look than before. Her arm was in an arm brace and her broken leg was propped up at the end of the bed by two silk covered pillows.

"Well she looks a lot better than what I had thought she would." Marik said as he looked down at his twin sister. She still was an Egyptian beauty under the stress of running a company and being in a serious car crash. "Would you two allow me to be with my sister for a moment? Privately?" Marik asked looking up at his older sister and younger brother-in-law.

They both nodded and walked silently out of the room. Marik took the seat next to Hailey's bed and took her hand in his.

"Look what you got yourself into sister. You always said that nothing would get you down like this, but here you are, being what you said you wouldn't become. True I might be older than you by a few minutes, but I always looked up to you as kid and as we grew up. Do you remember the song Ishizu and Odion used to sing to us when we were scared or we couldn't sleep?" Marik said and asked as he remembered the song. Clearing his throat quietly he began to sing.

_**O mòr henion i dhù**_

_**Ely siriar el sila **_

_**Ai! Anìron Undòmìel.**_

_**Tìro! El eria e mòr **_

_**I lir en el luthu uren **_

_**Ai! Anìron…**_

He sang, closing his eyes at the end, and bowing his head slightly. A single tear rolled down his tan face and landed on Hailey's hand. His head flew up when he heard Hailey's voice.

_**From darkness I understand the night: **_

_**dreams flow, a star shines **_

_**Ah! I desire Evenstar **_

_**Look! A star rises out of the darkness; **_

_**the song of the star enchants my heart **_

_**Ah! I desire… **_

She sang quietly, grabbing her brother's hand more tightly when she finished the song.

"I've missed hearing you sing sister." Marik said softly. He gently leaned over and hugged his sister for the first time in along while.

"I didn't know that you still remembered how to speak, let alone sing, in the Elvin tongue. I'm surprised myself that I actually remembered that old song." Hailey said humor in her voice for the first time in a long time, and not cold humor.

"Of course I still remember the Elvin tongue! That was our favorite past time when we were younger. We annoyed father to know end, rattling on in it." Marik said as he pulled away from her, an old mischievous look in his eyes.

"Brother, it's good to see you again. Is Ishizu here as well, I don't see her anywhere?" Hailey said as she lifted herself up from the bed and into a sitting position.

"I'll go get her. I'll see you later sister." Marik replied as he stood form his seat and walked towards the door. He closed it behind him and a few seconds later, Ishizu came bustling into the room, a worried expression on her face.

"I really do hope that he didn't wake you up Hailey. He knows that you need all the rest you can get!" Ishizu cried as she sat down in the chair Marik had just occupied.

"Sister calm down, I woke on my own accord. Though I am glad to see you sister." Hailey answered feebly. She knew that they were all concerned for her health, but it was getting quite old having everyone worrying about how much rest she got.

"As I am to see you. I hope we came at a good time; Mokuba called us and asked us, well sort of pleaded with us to come and visit you. You weren't _driving him crazy_ where **you** little sister?" Ishizu asked, a little to implying than what Hailey liked to hear from her family.

"Me! Drive someone crazy, nonsense! You know that I would **_never_** do something like that sister." Hailey quipped sticking her nose up into the air like she used to do whenever she didn't get her way when she was a child.

"Oh yes you would! Hailey, he's just trying to help you get better. You have to accept it that there are going to people who love you no matter what, but you have to be patient with them," the older Ishtar said as she looked over at her younger sister, who was doing a damn good job on trying to ignore what Ishizu was telling her.

"Ishizu, would you just leave it at that. I suddenly feel fatigued. I'd like to be alone if you wouldn't mind." Hailey asked as she turned away from her older sister, not wanting to face the older Egyptian at the very moment.

"As you wish, sister. You know your brother and I love you; we'll always be there for you no matter what." Ishizu said. She got up from the chair and left Hailey to herself. She didn't see the two crystalline tears slide down Hailey's cheeks.

"Damn…"

**Well I think I'll end chapter two there. I put a lot of stuff into this one chapter; hopefully you didn't get bored and stop reading half way through. Today's a good day for me. I got a oneshot called "Mr. Brightside" (Yes it has to do with the song) finished and then I finished this chapter. HECK YES MAN! I hope the next chapter isn't as long as this one because this one took me a while to write. Please read and review! Bye**

**Mazakai **


	3. Chapter 3: Here Again, Gone Tomorrow

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 3: Here Again, Gone Tomorrow**

**A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction**

**By: **Mazakai

**Started:** November 13, 2005

**Completed: **May 24, 2006

**Posted:**

**Disclaimer:** First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba! Oh and I don't own the Phantom of the Opera either. Or Wicked (Heck Yes Man! I love Wicked!). Or any references to Star Wars I might make.

**Warning: **This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death.

Recap from chapter two: 

Okay so Hailey has this weird dream about something she didn't even witness from her husbands past. Hailey totally freaks out when she can't find Mokuba the next morning, but is put at ease when she finds out that he just went to work early. After get sufficiently rain on and somewhat lectured by her brother-in-law, an unwanted blast form her past, in the form of Duke Devlin appears. Though Duke's company and Kaiba Corp. are working on a partnership project, what Duke has to say to Hailey has nothing to do with the project she is now fully in control of at Kaiba Corp's end of the deal. After Duke leaves her office, Hailey sets to work on her pile of work and starts to tire after awhile. Falling asleep at the office, Hailey doesn't hear Mokuba's confession and return to the somewhat carefree person he was before his brother died. Waking up after midnight Hailey heads home, but is in a terrible car crash and gets seriously injured. Now about three months after the accident, Hailey is almost completely healed, but is now suffering the antics of her remaining, and worried, family members. And now the story continues…

Needless to say, Hailey was in an extremely bad mood. Her wrist was killing her and she was very close to throwing her crutches out the window.

"Damned piece of metal, I'd rather stay in the wheelchair!" Hailey growled as her brother and brother-in-law tried to help her get through the mansion to the kitchen.

"Hailey we all know that you hated the wheelchair, so don't even try to use that one." Mokuba said sounding equally pissed off. He and Marik had been working with Hailey for the last hour on trying to get her used to the crutches. They had only proceeded to get her down the stairs and somewhat across the foyer.

"Sister, could you please cooperate with us a little bit so we can help you." Marik sighed as he spotted his sister through the hallways of her mansion.

"Oh shut up you two. I don't need any help from the peanut gallery!" Hailey sneered as she pushed painfully upon her wrist. She needed to push through the pain. Seto wouldn't want her to be weak like this. He would have pushed through the pain along time ago. Okay so she wasn't totally like her late husband.

Without knowing it Hailey pushed herself enough that she just grimaced and walked through the pain, literally. The next thing she knew she was being helped into a kitchen chair by her stunned brother and brother-in-law.

Leaning back in the chair, Hailey closed her eyes, and allowed the pain from her wrist flow through her arm and back. Gently, Mokuba removed the brace and massaged her wrist tentatively, not wanting to get slapped for hurting his sister-in-law.

"Hailey, I don't know what just got into you, but if you have that determination every time you practice walking with the crutches, you'll get used to them in no time." Marik said as he walked behind his sister and started to massage her shoulders. He knew exactly where to massage to get Hailey to relax. After they had both received the Tombkeepers initiation, the twins had taken turns giving the other a shoulder massage to help relieve the pain.

"Thank you, both. Really I mean you've all had to put up with me these last few days, and I know for a fact that I probably wasn't in the best of all moods, but, you all stayed next to me through it all. I'm glad I have family like that." Hailey said, her eyes filling up with tears as she looked from Mokuba to Marik. She couldn't have asked for a better family. If only Seto could have see them at that very moment. _'He'd be proud of Mokuba. Acting so grown up about this and handling the situation so calmly. I'm proud of him. My pride and joy,'_ Hailey thought as she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve and shrugged her brother away from her shoulders and gently pulled her hand away from Mokuba. Replacing the arm brace she reached for the crutches and placed them under her arms.

"Thank you guys, but I need to work on some specs for the game pods. I've been idle with the project for to long." Hailey told them as she stood and hobbled out of the kitchen to her office.

"Well that was odd wasn't Mokuba?" Marik asked as he looked over at his equally confused brother-in-law.

"She's a Kaiba now Marik and we're all odd."

Hailey sat at her desk, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she typed in instructions and formulas for the computer to analyze. Working helped her forget about what day was coming up in a month and a half.

The anniversary of the murder of Seto Kaiba.

She knew that it was coming and every year it got more and more painful than the last. Every year that passed made her realize that he was never going to come back. And in the four, almost five, years that had passed, Hailey had only been to Seto's grave five times. Once for the funeral and only every year on the day of his death. Being there always reminded her of the pain that still churned in her troubled and cold heart every day.

Though that was going to change soon if she had any thought to it. She had to accept the fact that Seto was never going to come back to her and instead of hiding from his grave, she should go and visit him, talk to him maybe. It was worth a shot. But not today, she was too weak to go out to the graveyard today. Tomorrow she would go and nothing was going to change her mind.

True to herself, the next morning when Hailey got up she changed into a black skirt and a black fitted v-neck sweater. Finding her nicest black leather, knee length, straight falling trench coat and draping it over her shoulders, Hailey was ready to face the inevitable.

"Odion! Could you come here a moment?" Hailey called as she walked to her door on the crutches.

Odion came out of then room he had been staying in; a worried expression crossed his face when he saw his young mistress standing at her door way, fully dressed.

"Mistress Hailey, you should still be in bed." Odion said worriedly as he looked at the young women in front of him.

"Oh hush Odion! I need you help. Could you please carry me down stairs? I'm afraid I haven't really gotten the hang of going up or down stairs with the crutches yet." Hailey said quietly and as Odion took another step towards her, Hailey quickly held out her hand to stop him from leading her back into her room.

"Alright, mistress, but you really shouldn't try to move that much on the crutches since your wrist is still sore." Odion said as he quickly picked Hailey up. She brought the crutches up to her chest and held on to them and Odion carried her down the marble stairs.

When the two reached the bottom, Odion waited for Hailey to get her crutches settled on the floor before he placed her gently on the floor.

"Odion, you go back to bed now, I'm can handle it from here. I'm sorry to have disturbed you so early." Hailey whispered slightly as she pulled out her cell phone from her pocket.

"If you're sure you're alright mistress, I will leave." Odion replied turning and walking back up the stairs, casting a quickly glance at Hailey when he reached the top of the stairs.

Once Hailey heard Odion's door close she dialed her driver and hobbled towards the front door.

"André, please bring the limo up for me." Hailey said when her driver answered his phone. She was in a hurry and her voice portrayed that.

"Yes, Mrs. Kaiba, right away." André answered quickly and then hung up.

"Well at least my service is doing their job." Hailey mussed as she pulled the door open and hobbled out. The cold morning air met her skin, and a shiver ran down her spine. "And it's a perfect day to go visit a graveyard!" Hailey mumbled as she pulled her coat closer around herself.

A black limo pulled around the drive a minute later and André rushed out to open the door for her.

"Thank you," Hailey replied politely as he helped her in and closed the door once her crutches where safely inside the car.

"Where to, Mrs. Kaiba?" came André voice over the intercom in the car.

"The Domino Cemetery."

A few minutes later the Kaiba Corp. limo pulled up to the front of the cemetery, and Hailey sighed preparing herself for what she was about to do. Her door opened and André reached in and offered Hailey his hand.

Helping his employer out of her limo and then reaching back in for the crutches she was using, André looked questioningly at Hailey. Why, out of anywhere she could have gone, did she choose to visit a cemetery? _'Well the Kaiba family is an odd family,'_ André thought as he pulled away from Hailey.

"Would you like me to wait for you, Mrs. Kaiba?" he asked quietly.

"No, I'll call you when I'm ready. Thank you." Hailey said as she looked away and into the foggy cemetery.

"Very well." He answered as he walked back around the car and drove off.

Hailey looked silently after the car, and then turned and walked into the cemetery.

Hailey quietly walked through the graveyard, making her way down the path that led to Seto's gravesite.

Dew-moistened sprigs of grass were crushed into the soft mud underneath her feet. Though Hailey, wearing a pair of knee-length boots, didn't care less.

She stopped before a plot of land separated from the rest of the graveyard, one that she accessed via a wrought-iron gate. She was finally here, at the gravesite of her husband.

It looked like any other grave-- plain, rectangular tombstone made of marble. But, from the top of the gravestone, rose the figure of a woman—the Amazoness Paladin. The carvings that made up her torso were very elaborate; one could make out her outfit and the sword she clutched in one hand. Her other arm was lifted, her face titled upward towards it. Her carved hair fell over her right shoulder, and looked as if a wind was blowing it away from her. Behind her, the figure of a dragon stood—a Blue Eyes White Dragon to be exact, it's tail wrapped protectively around the paladin's waist and legs. Its wings where opened behind it, as if to keep it aloft while one clawed foot touched down on the ground behind the paladin. The dragon's neck was craned down and its chin rested in the paladin's outstretched hand. It looked as if the Amazoness were stroking the mighty dragon, taming it and treating it like a docile pet. Its blue eye's were made of sapphires, the only color on the statues.

Hailey had made sure that the carving's where done by the best carver in the world. You could see every detail of the paladin and dragon. Each and every scale on the dragon was detailed and the paladin looked as if she could have been real.

Tearing her eye's away from the statues that were suppose to represent herself and Seto, Hailey looked done at the tombstone and read the word that where engraved there.

'Seto Kaiba. A loving brother and husband. And respected young man, whose memory will carry on through out the world and forever. 1986- 2005.'

Hailey almost dropped to her knees as she read the stone. He had just turned nineteen the month before he had died. Hailey remembered that night even now. The two of them had gone out to dinner in Tokyo to Seto's favorite restaurant. After they had eaten, they had celebrated with Mokuba, and then gone up to bed. Hailey couldn't help and blush at the present she had given Seto that night.

"I don't know why I'm here Seto?" Hailey asked aloud as she stood in front of his grave. Tears started to form on her lashes, and she tried to blink them away, but it was hopeless to try. A crystalline tear fell down her check and on the ground before Seto's tombstone. "Some times I still think that you're alive. Like at night, when you'll walk through the door after a long night of working. But then I remember that you're gone and that you'll never walk through the bedroom door again. I wish that you were still here, my love"

Hailey took a deep breath and composed herself, looking up at the sky. Subconsciously she started to sing as she looked back down to the grave.

_**You were once my one companion**_

_**You were all that mattered**_

_**You were once my friend and husband**_

_**Then my world was shattered**_

_**Wishing you were somehow here again**_

_**Wishing you were somehow near**_

_**Sometimes it seems if I just dreamed**_

_**Somehow you would be here**_

_**Wishing I could hear your voice again**_

_**Knowing that I never would**_

_**Dreaming of you, help me to do**_

_**All that you dreamed I could**_

_**Passing bells and sculpted angels**_

_**Cold and unlamented**_

_**Seen before you the wrong companions**_

_**You were warm and gentle**_

_**To many years fighting off tears**_

_**Why can't the past just die?**_

_**Wishing you were somehow here again**_

_**Knowing we must say good-bye**_

_**Trying to forgive**_

_**Teach me to live**_

_**Give me the strength to try!**_

_**Now the memories, no more silent tears**_

_**No more gazing across the wasted years**_

_**Help me say good-bye**_

_**Help me say…good-bye!**_

Tears were falling freely down her face as she finished her song. It wasn't until now that she had realized how much she missed Seto. How much he had meant to her in so many different ways.

Hailey reached for the gold chain that hung around her neck and pulled the oval locket from under her shirt. Pressing her nail into the clasp, she pushed it open and gazed down at the picture of Seto she had placed in there. It had been one of those rare times when Seto had actually smiled. The picture had been taken on the day of their wedding. Someone had gotten a picture of Seto right after Hailey had said "I do" and Seto had a brilliant smile on his face, and it wasn't a smirk either. He had told her that it was one of the happiest moments of his life. She had given him one of the happiest days of his life, and that made her feel wonderful.

Bowing her head slightly, Hailey closed her eyes and imagined that Seto was standing there with her.

_'Seto... It's been a while,'_ Hailey thought. It was only in the "presence" of her husband that Hailey felt she could truly be herself nowadays. There was still a nineteen-year-old girl trapped in her twenty-three-year-old body, remembering her husband and everything they'd done together.

_'A lot has happened in the past few weeks.' _Hailey thought as she sat on the little bench beside the grave. '_Mokuba's gone back to being his old self, like he was before you died. Though he's more serious than he was when he was younger. I guess that he has grown up since then. I haven't gone back though. The car crash really shook me up, made me more secluded than before, well if that was possible. Yeah, I was nearly killed in a car crash a month ago, and guess who the other driver was, and who I might add was drunk. Well you never really did like Joey Wheeler that much, and I'm beginning to see why.'_ Hailey thought as she looked back up at the sky, seeing the bleak gray clouds over head.She turned back to the gravestone, inhaling the earthy scent of the cemetery.

'_My Egyptian family came to **rescue** Mokuba from my temper and isolation after the accident. I know that Mokuba was trying to be a good little brother to me, but I know in my heart I was driving him insane for awhile there. I am glad that Marik, Ishizu, and Odion did come when they did. They really helped me focus on getting better.'_ Hailey sighed, realizing how grateful she should be to her family after all they had been through together with dealing with her. Briefly, she wondered what it would have been like if they hadn't shown up. Hailey also wondered what it would have been like if Seto had still been alive and she had gotten in the accident and died in the crash. It would have been devastating for him. He had already experienced enough lose in his life. The lose of his parents. He'd lost them when he was much younger than she was when she lost him, and it had undoubtedly traumatized him from what she had seen. He'd had to give up his childhood, his livelihood... to protect his brother...

Though she had given up hers to try to protect Mokuba from becoming like she had undoubtedly became in the end. She hadn't wanted him to take over Kaiba Corp. at such a young age. She didn't have much to lose if she became as cold and emotionless as her husband had been. Mokuba though had everything to lose if he had changed so drastically. But now that she thought about it, Mokuba did change in the way she had hoped he wouldn't have. She just hadn't seen it though back then, because it looked normal to her. She was doing the same exact thing.

The things Seto had told her about herself she could hardly remember being, well some of them. Intelligent, witty, funny, friendly... everything that Seto had told her, that he himself had been unable to be. The yin to his yang, the light to his dark... all that he'd ever needed, all that he'd ever wanted to be...

It seemed like such along time ago that he had told her that. It had been, she realized. Almost five years ago.

_'I don't even know... what love is supposed to feel like anymore. Not this kind of love at least. I love Mokuba and my family, but I don't remember how to feel that kind of love.'_

Hailey suddenly looked at the dragon on Seto's grave. Seto always had reminded her of a dragon. Strong, beautiful, and wise. _'Tell me Seto, what am I supposed to do now that you gone. I know that I can't change back to the girl I used to be, but do I let the darkness consume me and become more unfeeling, more heartless, or do I let people back into my life, only to have them hurt me in return?'_ Hailey asked herself, looking down at the dewy grass beneath her boots. She knew the answer to that question already, but she still wished there was another alternative.

_'Be brave my darling, Hailey.'_

The young woman looked up abruptly, she **swore **she had just heard a voice—Seto's voice. This was starting to wear thin on Hailey's already jarred nerves. First she had seen his eyes in his old mirror. Now she was hearing Seto at his grave.?. Hailey looked around, there was no one else in the graveyard but her, so...

Hailey had known very little about Seto Kaiba when she had met him-- but what she had known, she had fallen deeply in love with. She had known that Seto Kaiba wasn't the man everyone else thought he was. No matter how hard he had tried to escape his past, it had remained in his mind, in his soul... Though his parents had died when he was a child, he had kept them in his heart, and refused to throw away the lessons they'd taught him.

And now she wasn't going to throw away the lessons Seto had taught her. She wasn't going to let him down. No matter what.

Hailey glanced up at the quickly-darkening sky, rising to her feet. She had no desire to get rained on again.

"Farewell my love. I'll be back soon, and next time, I'll bring Mokuba with me so he can say hello to you as well." Hailey said as she blew Seto's grave a kiss and walked out of the gate guarding the burial site.

When Hailey got back to the Kaiba mansion, she found her whole family sitting in the entertainment room, where Mokuba was showing them the finished designs of the Duel Disk Four that he and Hailey both had created. She had passed the project fully to him when she had taken full control over the game pod project.

"As you can see, the Duel Disk Four is a more innovated way to duel than the older versions of the Duel Disk Kaiba Corp. has created. Thank you." Mokuba was saying as Hailey walked into the room.

"That was a good presentation, Mokuba. You had me wanting to buy one right then and there," Marik said as he stood up and held his hands out. "May I look at those for a moment?'

"Sure. I want all the opinions I can get before I go public with the final product." Mokuba replied as he handed the sketch pad with designs for the Disk over to Marik.

"Mokuba, I didn't know you had finished the designs so quickly? After you're done could you leave them in my office so I could do a run down of the finals?" Hailey asked, her voice coming out hoarse at first. She hadn't done much talking that morning and when ever she cried her voice always went hoarse.

"Sister, where have you been?" Ishizu asked as she got up and helped Hailey into a chair so she could rest her wrist and foot.

"Oh, I had to go and talk to someone this morning. It was sort of a last minute decision, so I decided that I didn't need to wake the entire family up when I left." Hailey explained as everyone looked at her expectantly. What she had said really hadn't been a lie, she had gone and met with someone, it was just that, that someone just happened to be her dead husband.

Hailey looked up to Mokuba and tired to tell him where she had really been without saying it. He must have gotten the message, because his expression turned sadder and he bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes quickly.

"Mistress Hailey, would you like me to bring you out a tray, you didn't eat before you left this morning?" Odion asked as he stepped more into the light of the room.

Before Hailey could answer her stomach growled loudly, betraying her fully. Hailey quickly looked down, her cheeks flaming crimson.

"I'll take that as a yes." Odion chuckled as he turned and left the room for the kitchen.

A few moments passed before, Marik snorted and caused the rest of the room to erupt with laughter.

A week passed after Hailey's visit to the graveyard, which she had told Mokuba about later that night, and it was time for the Ishtar's to be heading back to Egypt.

"Sister, before we go, we have a present for you," Ishizu said as she hugged Hailey good-bye at the private airport. "You have to close your eyes though."

Making sure her eyes where closed, Ishizu turned to Odion, who brought out a little black wolf cub from behind his back.

"Okay open your eyes, little sister!" Ishizu exclaimed as she held the wolf cub out in front of her.

"Surprise!" All three Ishtar's and Mokuba cried when Hailey opened her eyes.

Hailey, who was sitting in the wheel chair again (to give her arms and legs a day off), smiled as she took the wolf cub from her older sister. "What breed is it?" she asked as she petted the little dog on its head and letting it sniff her other hand.

"A full blooded wolf from Russia. Don't worry though, his mother and father were both born and raised in captivity and around humans, and this little guy was born about eleven months ago. He was trained as a guardian/mans-best-friend wolf, if there is such a thing." Marik explained as Hailey examined her wolf cub.

"I love him you guys, thank you. You know this will really complete the cold overbearing look. I mean nothing says Hailey Kaiba more than a ferocious looking wolf at my side!" Hailey teased as she looked up at her family. They knew her weakness. Hailey had an odd fetish for wolves. When she was growing up in Egypt she thought herself to be a wolf at times, howling at the moon on the nights of the full moon, and such.

"Well, you always did want a wolf when we were growing up, and now we've decided to make one of your old dreams come true!" Marik chorused, beaming down at his sister.

"Um…Marik, Ishizu, Odion, you might want to get going, your flight's going to be leaving soon." Mokuba interrupted as he looked down at his watch.

"Oh right, well, we'll call you both when we reach Cairo, just to let you know that we did make it home alright. "Ishizu said as she bent down and hugged Hailey and kissed Mokuba on the cheek, causing the young man to blush slightly. Marik followed suite, only, he pecked Hailey on the check and not Mokuba. Even Odion, hugged Hailey, though he shook hands with Mokuba, who in turn pulled Odion into his embrace, startling the older man.

Hailey was to sad to say anything as she watched her family walk out of sight, deeper into the airport.

Finally words came to her. "Come on Mokuba, I want to go home."

"Alright, Hailey." Mokuba said as he turned Hailey around, and wheeled her out of the terminal, the little black wolf curled up in her lap, happy as could be.

"Hailey? What have you decided to call him?" Mokuba asked, looking at the wolf cub that ran down the length of the limo, stopping in front of Hailey nearly begging her to pick him up. She did.

"I was thinking something like Fiyero, or Avaric, or maybe Frex?" Hailey thought as she looked down at her new jet black wolf. He had four little silver paws, and his tail had a silver tip. Surprisingly he had startling blue eyes, instead of gold, but Hailey almost knew that the blue wouldn't last for long. His adult golden eyes would come sooner or later.

"On a Wicked kick or something? I didn't even know that you liked musicals?" Mokuba asked a confused look forming on his face. When had he last seen Hailey sit down and watch a movie?

"What are you talking about, I love Wicked! Where do you think I get half of my ideas from for different project I work on at Kaiba Corp.?" Hailey cried looking at her brother-in-law like he had turned into the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, three heads and all. "And besides, where do think I learned to walk the way I do? Walking like I have the power to do anything in the world that I want too? Elphaba at the end of "Defying Gravity', of course she's levitating over the stage, but still, you can feel the power radiating from her. And Wicked is also the other reason why I like wearing trench coat. They're the closet I'll ever get in wearing cloak like Elphaba wears near the end of "Defying Gravity', unless I want to wear a cloak like my sister and brother do sometimes." Hailey said as she looked out the window for a moment, and then back at Mokuba with an evil look on her face.

"So if I were to ask you to sing a song from the musical you could?' he asked looking at Hailey with a smirk forming on his mouth.

"Yes."

"Okay. Sing 'No Good Deed'" Mokuba asked, quickly remembering how the song went. He was glad that he had an almost as good as memory as his brother had, had. The song filtered through his head.

"Okay here it goes," Hailey said before clearing her throat and humming the starting note softly in her throat, and then she started signing.

_**Fiyero!**_

_**Eleka Nahmen Nahmen**_

_**Ah Tum Ah Tum Eleka Nahmen**_

_**Eleka Nahmen Nahmen**_

**_Ah Tum Ah Tum Eleka Nahmen..._**

_**Let his flesh not be torn**_

_**Let his blood leave no stain**_

_**Though they beat him**_

_**Let him feel no pain**_

_**Let his bones never break**_

_**And however they try**_

_**To destroy him**_

_**Let him never die**_

_**Let him never die**_

_**Eleka Nahmen Nahmen**_

_**At Tum Ah Tum Eleka Nahmen**_

_**Eleka Nahmen Nahmen**_

_**Ah Tum Ah Tum Eleka...Eleka...**_

_**What good is this chanting?**_

_**I don't even know what I'm reading**_

**_I don't even know what trick I ought to try_**

**_Fiyero, where are you?_**

**_Already dead or bleeding?_**

**_One more disaster I can add to my_**

_**Generous supply?**_

_**No good deed goes unpunished**_

_**No act of charity goes unresented**_

_**No good deed goes unpunished**_

_**That's my new creed**_

_**My road of good intentions**_

_**Led where such roads always lead**_

_**No good deed**_

_**Goes unpunished…**_

**_Nessa…_**

_**Doctor Dillamond…**_

_**Fiyero…**_

_**FIYERO…!**_

_**One question haunts and hurts**_

_**Too much, too much to mention:**_

_**Was I really seeking good**_

_**Or just seeking attention?**_

_**Is that all good deeds are**_

_**When looked at with an ice-cold eye?**_

_**If that's all good deeds are**_

_**Maybe that's the reason why…**_

_**No good deed goes unpunished**_

_**All helpful urges should be circumvented**_

_**No good deed goes unpunished**_

**_Sure, I meant well--_**

_**Well look at what well-meant did**_

_**All right, enough—so be it**_

**_So be it then:_**

_**Let all Oz be agreed**_

_**I'm wicked through and through**_

_**Since I cannot succeed**_

_**Fiyero, saving you**_

_**I promise no good deed**_

_**Will I attempt to do**_

_**Again**_

_**Ever again**_

_**No good deed**_

_**Will I Do**_

_**AGAIN!**_

Mokuba couldn't say anything, his jaw had dropped open a few centimeters, and he just stared at Hailey as she took a few breaths after holding the ending note of the song.

"Mokuba, earth to Mokuba!" Hailey called waving her hand in front of his eyes.

He shook his head, clearing his mind. "Okay so you do know Wicked. I stand corrected."

"Which makes me think I'll call him Fiyero!" Hailey said as she stroked the wolf's black head. He yapped happily when Hailey said 'Fiyero' as if to say 'I like that name!'

"Well hello Fiyero. It's nice to meet you," Mokuba said as he reached out and let the young wolf sniff his hand. Fiyero, deciding Mokuba was alright, licked his outstretched fingers. Mokuba took this as a good sign and stroked the wolf's furry black head.

"My little Fiyero." Hailey murmured.

When the Kaiba's got home, Mokuba brought the wheelchair around for Hailey, and helped her out of the car. Fiyero lay snuggled in her arms, sleeping.

"Mokuba, do you know what's coming up in about a month and a half?" Hailey asked, suddenly sounding older and more tiered than she had when they had been with her family.

"Yeah, the fifth anniversary of Seto's death. Do you want to do something?" Mokuba asked, his voice sounding gruffer than before.

"I'd like to go out to his grave with you if you don't mind. It was really hard the last time I went by myself, and I sort of promised your brother that you'd come with me next time." Hailey said as Mokuba helped her out of the chair so she could make her way up the stairs. She leaned slightly on his arm, using him as her crutch while the butler moved the chair up the stairs.

"Hailey, you know that I always go with you to the grave every year on the anniversary. Why wouldn't I go this year?" Mokuba asked as he walked slowly for Hailey's sake.

Reaching the top of the steps, Hailey sank into the chair and held Fiyero a little bit tighter than before, causing the wolf to wake up slightly. He looked up at Hailey and then lowered his head back down and fell back asleep.

"How about we go the day before the anniversary? I think it would be better for the both of us if we went on our own if possible on the day of his actual death." Mokuba said as he wheeled Hailey into her office.

"Fine, I think it would be for the best if we did anyways. What we have to say personally to Seto is just that, personal." Hailey replied her cold tone returning slightly.

Mokuba knew it bothered her to no end to talk about Seto this close to the day of the anniversary of his older brother's death. It bothered him to, but it also helped him with the grief if he talked about it. He and Marik had stayed up and talked about Seto's death and the grief Mokuba went through everyday a few times while the Ishtar's were in Japan.

Mokuba wished that Hailey would realize that she could talk to him about what she was feeling. He would listen. He knew what she was going through. It was the same thing he was going through at the same moment.

"I'll leave you in peace Hailey, call if you need anything." Mokuba said, the hurt slowly creeping into his voice.

Hailey heard the hurt, but ignored it; her hurt blocked everything else out. She waited until Mokuba was gone to push herself out of the wheelchair. Fiyero awoke at her movement and jumped out of her arm and padded around the room. Hailey moved to her chair behind her desk and flipped her computer on. She didn't remember turning it off. Maybe Odion, Marik, or Ishizu had while she was away from her office.

Looking around her computer monitor, Hailey saw Fiyero stop in front of the table beside the couch in her office. A picture from her wedding day sat on the table, much like the one in her locket. The newlyweds stood in the middle of the picture, with Hailey's family behind her and Mokuba in front of Seto. Tea, Mai, and Serenity stood off to the right of Hailey, they had been her bridesmaids. Ishizu had been her maid of honor. To Seto's left stood Joey, Yugi, and Duke; for some reason, Seto had chosen them to be his groomsmen. Mokuba had been his best man, well boy. He was the shortest of all the men standing up there. Yugi had become Yami for the day; Seto had told him that it would look better if he was at least somewhat of the same height as the rest of the groomsmen. Mokuba hadn't appreciated this much, but since it was his brothers special day, he let it slide.

That was the one day that she hadn't seen Joey and Seto fight with each other. They must have made some pack that they wouldn't insult each other for the day, not to spoil anything.

Suddenly her computer bleeped and shook her out of her reverie.

"You have one new message!' the computer bleeped.

Clicking on the message, Hailey saw that it was from Dr. Mazakai. Leveling the text on her screen, Hailey read.

_Mrs. Kaiba,_

_I'm pleased to tell you that your other doctors and I have been looking over you x-rays from your visit two days ago, and we concluded that your leg has fully healed. You may come in tomorrow to get the cast removed. Please contact me when you get this message to confirm that you can come in. Call me at: 324-5609. Thank you._

_A. Mazakai_

Hailey read the message twice through before looking up at Fiyero, who was now sitting comfortably on the couch.

"I can go get my cast off! Mokuba come here quickly!" Hailey called as her face broke into a wide smirk.

Mokuba came running into the room, startling Fiyero, who jumped off the couch and ran behind Hailey's desk.

"What is it Hailey! Are you in pain?" Mokuba cried as he placed his hands on Hailey's mahogany desk.

"It's nothing bad, it's just…I get to have my cast taken off tomorrow! Dr. Mazakai just wrote me saying that my leg had fully healed." Hailey explained excitedly, her eyes twinkling.

"Hailey! That's amazing! I can't believe it!" Mokuba cried, beaming. He nearly skipped out of the room as he was leaving.

Fiyero yipped and looked up at Hailey when she looked at him with a confused look, well as much of a confused look as a wolf could have.

Bending down Hailey picked the wolf cub up and held him up to eye level. He reached forward and licked her nose.

"Did you hear that Fiyero! I get this cast off tomorrow!" Hailey told her wolf cub, looking into his blue eyes. He was light for an almost one year old wolf. His legs were long and lean, and most of his puppy fat was gone. The black fur on his body was sleek and not fluffy like puppy fur.

Fiyero wagged his tail in reply, looking at Hailey and then started squirming to get out of her hold. Hailey laid him on the floor and he walked to the door, and looked aback at Hailey and whined. Placing his paws on the door, he looked back again and whined even louder.

Glancing down at her watch, Hailey realized that the young wolf was hungry. Who knew when he had last eaten? The Ishtar's hadn't told her that detail. Now that she thought about it, she was hungry to. She hadn't eaten lunch, much to her family's disapproval.

Hailey reached out and pressed the button on the intercom, letting it up quickly.

"Yes, Mrs. Kaiba?" came Roland's voice.

"Roland, I'd like you to send me a dinner tray and a bowl of raw ground beef for my dog." Hailey said into the intercom. She hoped that he wouldn't ask about the dog part of her order.

"Right away ma'am." Was all that Roland said.

The next day Hailey and Mokuba went to the doctor's office in a somber silence. They always were like this around the time of the anniversary of Seto's death.

Pulling up to the curb at the hospital, Mokuba helped Hailey out of the car and up to the hospital doors. There was a hiss and the doors slid open.

"Welcome back Mrs. Kaiba, I see you are here to get your last cast removed! Good for you!" the receptionist said when Mokuba signed Hailey in, hopefully for the last time in a long while.

"We're glad to be her to. Hailey wasn't to happy with the cast." Mokuba replied cheerily, a smile spreading across his face. Hailey was just standing grouchily at his side, glaring at nothing in particular.

"Dr. Mazakai will see you in five minutes. If you would please sit over there for a moment, I'll call you when she's ready for you." The receptionist said cheerfully and pointed to the waiting area.

Mokuba and Hailey walked over and sat down, Hailey propping her foot up on the table letting the blood flow out of her foot. Mokuba just picked up a dueling magazine and started to read quietly. Looking down at the table, Hailey saw something that caught her eye in the litter of magazines. The title read: **_Is Kaiba Losing Her Head? CEO of World Known Kaiba Corporation Seeing Ghost of Late Husband. See page 45 for full story_**. A picture from the day she had gone to see Johnson, the psychiatrist, covered the cover of the magazine. Her deep maroon trench coat was flying around her as she had turned to face the photographer, a shocked, yet deadly look on her face; both hers and the photographs ice blue eyes were narrowed in anger. Deciding to analyze the damage that had been dealt to her, Hailey flipped the magazine open to page forty-five and stared at yet another picture of her self, this time a picture of her face. It had been taken when she had taken control of Kaiba Corporation five years ago, evidently tampered with to look more like her now, five years later. _**Hailey Kaiba: Ghost Girl and Mental Case. **By: Koji Takeshi_ read the title of the article. Glancing up briefly at Mokuba, Hailey began to read.

_CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Mrs. Hailey Kaiba has been reported in seeing 'ghost' of her late husband, Seto Kaiba. With the anniversary of the late Mr. Kaiba's death coming up it might be suspected that she might be 'seeing' her husband. No one knows what is plaguing Mrs. Kaiba at the moment, but many can guess that the stress laid upon her and the grief that has set upon her family in the last five years has something to do with the "ghost"._

_Late last month, Kaiba was seen walking in to a psychiatrist's office. Is Kaiba losing her mental stability as well? Will we have to call the psychiatric ward so they can prepare a room for Mrs. Kaiba? Some would say that she should have been put in there long ago, along with her husband, even though he's dead. With the upcoming release of her company's newest project, there is no doubt that Kaiba would be wishing for some form of comfort or help through this time. "Her mind is seeking some form of stress reliever, and it immediately jumps to the memory of that of her husband," Says Dr. Johnson of Tokyo. Johnson says that Mrs. Kaiba is just worked up and many people who have lost loved one's go through the same thing. Though there is a strong possibility that this is not the case, at least not when there is a Kaiba involved._

_The chance this was not true proved to be right, when Mrs. Kaiba was involved in a terrible accident. Joseph Wheeler, twenty-four, says that Kaiba wasn't paying attention to the road that night, and she crashed right into him. _

Hailey's ice blue eyes narrowed at that comment. Leave it to Wheeler to say something like that about her after he was the one who crashed into her. It wasn't her fault that she had to shut down the branch of her company that he had worked for. They just weren't doing as well as she had hoped they would, so she closed it down. No need in keeping something that would hold you back, like emotions. Shaking her head slightly, Hailey continued to read.

_Though the police say that Mr. Wheeler was drunk the night of the accident, so it might have been him who crashed into the un-expecting Mrs. Kaiba rather than the other way around. Though the doctors wouldn't give us any information, we know that both drivers were badly hurt._

_Another thing that many people have noticed over the last five years is that Hailey Kaiba has changed from a pleasant and outgoing young woman that melted the hearts of many and the one and only Seto Kaiba as well, to the young Kaiba matriarch that strikes fear into all of us with one cold look, just like someone we all believed to be dead and gone. Seto Kaiba still walks among us in the form of his wife, even though he's dead. We do not mean that Mr. Kaiba's spirit is within the body of his wife; just that it's like his personality has settled upon the young woman, and she herself has brought him back from the dead. Maybe we are in the presence of the dead after all._

_No one really knows what has happened to the Kaiba matriarch, but no one can deny that something **has** happened and it hasn't been for the better. _

Closing her eyes, Hailey let the information from the article sink into her mind. How could some magazine have found out about her appointment with Johnson last month? Who would have told them about what she had seen, or at least she thought she had been seeing.

Quietly and quickly, Hailey opened her briefcase and stashed the magazine inside it. She would show it to Mokuba later, when they left.

"Mrs. Kaiba, Dr. Mazakai is ready to see you now." The receptionist said quietly, shaking the two Kaiba's out of their silence. Mokuba looked quietly over at Hailey, who avoided his gaze and pushed herself up and onto her crutches. Mokuba followed suit and walked after Hailey into the doctor's office.

"Well Mrs. Kaiba, I am pleased to tell you that this time your bone has healed all the way through and you won't have to worry about wearing a leg brace." Dr. Mazakai said cheerfully after x-raying Hailey's leg. She had wanted to make sure this time that the bone was completely healed before she let Hailey use it at all.

Hailey slowly flexed her foot, finally being able to bend her ankle in about six weeks. Gingerly she placed her bare foot on the tiled floor feeling the cold flooring touch her bare skin.

Mokuba was at her side in an instant, holding her arm as Hailey got used to putting her weight on the foot. Dr. Mazakai watched in awe as the young woman walked around the office, a pained look on her face. Hailey was trying to push through the pain that was obviously running through her foot.

"Mrs. Kaiba, I'd stay off the foot for at least twenty-four hours. We wouldn't want you to end up back here again. And as much as we enjoy having you around, I think you've had enough time at the hospital for awhile." Dr. Mazakai said as she handed Mokuba a piece of paper.

"What's this?" he asked looking down at the little slip.

"It's a prescription for some mild pain killers, just in case Mrs. Kaiba's foot starts hurting again." The doctor replied as she stood back allowing Hailey to walk pass her and out of the examination room.

"Thanks. I'm sorry that my sister-in-law isn't acting civil at the moment. She's just having a hard time at the time." Mokuba apologized as he shook the female doctor's hand.

"It's no problem, I've gotten worse treatment before from my patients." Mazakai replied shaking her head slightly.

Mokuba turned on his heel and followed Hailey out to the lobby, waving his hand over his shoulder at Mazakai as he went.

Heedless to Mazakai's words, Hailey began walking full force on her foot that day. After leaving the doctors office, she had ordered her driver to take her and Mokuba to Kaiba Corp. so they could get some work done.

The Kaiba's were greeted at the main lobby by their personal assistants and together they headed up towards the upper two floor of the building.

"Mokuba, I'd like for you to arrange a meeting with Devlin Inc. for this Friday. And before you can object, I want you there for your opinion. You worked on the project along side me for awhile and I'd like your input on the matter." Hailey stated quickly as the elevator binged at Mokuba's floor.

"Right Hailey, I'll do it. I e-mail you the information later." Mokuba replied dryly, stepping out of the elevator with his assistant in tow.

"Tsubame, I'd like to see you in my office in twenty minutes." Hailey said as she got out of the elevator and limped slightly to her office.

"Yes ma'am." Came Tsubame reply.

Hailey marched into her office, and flung her briefcase onto the couch. Striding over to her computer, she flipped the switch on and sat down heavily on her leather chair.

How come she hadn't been told about that article that, that Takeshi boy had written? Better yet, why had her PR team let any of those magazines stay out after the article had came out? She thought she had a better team than that to let something like that get out.

A beeping sound shook Hailey from her stupor. Her computer had a flashing message on the screen. Quickly she clicked on the message and a strange e-mail popped up. It was from a '**blackleviathanking**' (**A/N: **Guess who that is?). The message read:

_My dear Mrs. Kaiba,_

_I hope that you got my letter. Though if you don't watch out, you'll make the same mistake your dear dead husband made. The time is running out for all of those who you love. I'm sure that you wouldn't care to go to another funeral anytime soon, but if things do not change, there will be one more tombstone in the Kaiba family plot. Until we meet again Mrs. Kaiba._

_D._

After reading through the message a few times, Hailey quickly did a trace on the e-mail, but the trace came up with nothing. Cursing vehemently at her computer, Hailey didn't notice Tsubame quietly enter her office. She paced behind her desk until the timid secretary coughed lightly, making the young CEO jump.

"Ah, Tsubame. Do you remember a few months ago, the night of my accident? I found a note waiting on your desk for me when I left my office. Do you remember who gave that to you, what they looked like?" Hailey quickly asked as she sat down at her desk. Tsubame quickly sat down in front of her employer trying to remember that night in particular.

"Well, I was sitting at my desk, talking to someone when a tall man walked in. He had short cropped blonde hair. He didn't tell me his name either, only that he was instructed to give this to you. Mr. Mokuba, had came out of your office a short time before this saying that you were not to be disturbed for the rest of the day, so I told the tall man that you were not seeing anyone, and he could leave what ever he had to give you with me and I would make sure that you would receive it. He agreed to this and left that note, which I left on my desk incase you left after I did." Tsubame said quietly, looking down at the floor rather than at the young woman in front of her.

Hailey was internally beating herself up. Of course the mystery man wouldn't show his face to the public if he had done some sort of black Markey dealing and gotten caught for it; why hadn't she thought of that before!

"Oh alright, thank you Tsubame. You can go." Hailey answered sullenly. She watched as Tsubame left her executive office. As soon as the door closed, Hailey spun around in her seat and found herself facing the glass panes of her window.

The sky was clear and she could see the ocean in the distance. Looking down she saw the busy streets of downtown Domino and the two dragon statues framed the sides of the walk that led up to the Kaiba Corp building. Seto had told her about the day when they had been delivered to the building. It had been shortly after he had taken over the company. The construction of the level she was currently sitting in had just been started on and Seto had been here to check on the progress. Someone called him down and told him that the two statues he had ordered where there, waiting for his approval. He had told her that he nearly ran down to where they were; and when he got there and they pulled the cover off on of the large dragons, Seto nearly fainted. The next day the two dragons met him when he pulled up to the entrance of his building.

Now everyday when she showed up at the Kaiba Corp building, the stone dragons greeted her with their majestic beauty. Just like Seto.

Hailey quickly shook her head as she felt the all too familiar stinging sensation in her eyes. She was not about to start crying at work. That would ruin her cold and emotionless reputation in a heart beat.

Collecting herself quickly, Hailey sat back down at her computer. It felt weird sitting back at her office desk after being confined at the mansion for the longest time. As she turned to face her computer, she drew her fingers upon the mahogany top of her desk, missing the feeling of the cool wood against her finger tips.

Though as Hailey's finger touched the cool wood, her vision got blurry and something flashed before her eyes.

**Flashback/Vision**

(A/N: You are about to read something that Hailey is going to witness through Seto's eyes, that he actually experienced. Just so you don't get confused, when Hailey talks or does something, she is actually saying what Seto said or did during this encounter.)

_A tall man stood in front of the large desk. His aquamarine hair was pulled back into a loose pony-tail and his multi-colored eyes stared darkly at where she sat._

"_Kaiba, what do you think you are doing! I thought you said that we were working on this project **together **and then when I get to my offices this morning, I find that all of my materials are gone and there's a note on my desk saying that you had pulled the plug on my end of the project! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THAT!" the tall man yelled harshly, slamming his hands on the front of her desk._

"_Well, I don't like it when things go one behind my back under my company's name." she replied coolly, though her voice wasn't her own. It was that of her late husband, Seto Kaiba._

"_What are you talking about? I have done nothing under your company's precious name! This is an insult." The other man replied, trying, by the looks of it, not to start yelling again._

"_By the looks of these papers," she said coolly again as she pulled a file folder out of the top drawer of her desk. She flipped the folder open and drew out a stack a paper. Gently she pushed them towards the tall man and he snatched them up and started flipping through the paper._

"_How did you get these? I thought that we had made sure all documents had been destr…" the tall man started to say, but caught himself as he realized her had walked right into her trap._

"_So you did do something. All right, I've decided. Kaiba Corporation will have nothing to do with Paladius as of now and as far as I'm concerned, we never had anything to do with each other." She said coldly, rising to her feet as well, staring coldly into the others eyes with her own piercing blue gaze._

"_Fine, but you will regret this. Mark my words, you will pay for this Seto Kaiba!"_

_Then everything went black._

Suddenly Hailey was back in the present. What the hell had just happened to her? One moment she had been touching the top of her desk and then the next she had been seeing something through her husbands eyes that had to do with the same man from the dream she had had a few months ago. Something didn't seem right, like something or someone was trying to get her to comprehend what had just been going on and what way it connected her late husband and the tall man with aquamarine hair.

"Whatever," Hailey murmured under her breath as she flipped her computer on and watched the machine boot up to its full power. Soon the Kaiba Corp. logo flashed on the screen prompting her to input her username and password. Quickly she typed in the information and watched her personal setting pop onto the screen. Hailey immediately started working not noticing the hours fly by.

Around five o'clock Mokuba wandered into Hailey's office. She merely motioned for him to come and sit down, not saying a word.

"Hailey, it's time to head home. You've been working here far too long." Mokuba said worriedly, looking concerned at his older sister-in-law.

"Mokuba, I'm fine. I told you that I felt fine this morning before we left for the doctors. I think I can last till normal closing hours." Hailey argued, not once looking up from her work.

"Hale, I know you better than that. You're just like Big Brother; normal closing hours are at some insane hour of the night, or maybe not ever. Dr. Mazakai told you that you shouldn't over work yourself. And what about the psychiatrist told you? Seventy to eighty hours of work in one time span isn't healthy for you or anyone for that matter. Well, I'll tell you one thing, working yourself into the ground after you just recovered from a serious car accident isn't to smart either." Mokuba answered angrily. By the end of his little rant he was on his feet pacing in front of Hailey's desk.

Hailey finally looked up from her computer. "Mokuba, will you stop, I'm getting a headache as it was before you went on that little speech and that didn't help much. Oh, I want you to take of look at this, and I want you to tell me if you knew about this beforehand," she said as she pulled out the article she had found while at the doctors office. Hailey passed it over the desk to him, and Mokuba quickly read through the article.

"How come we weren't informed that this was published?" Mokuba asked as he laid the paper down on the desk and started pacing again.

Hailey silently followed him with her blue eyes. She had been wondering the same thing through out the day. "Obviously our PR staff didn't catch this when it was published. I was going to take it down there before I left and see if anyone knew about it," she replied in her monotone voice.

"Go now; I think you should get home." Mokuba stated as he watched Hailey's eyebrow twitch slightly in annoyance because he kept nagging her to go home.

"If I go will, you stop bugging me about it?" Hailey asked dryly.

"Maybe," Mokuba answered smugly.

"Fine, I'll go."

Both Hailey and Mokuba walked down to the PR department of the Kaiba Corp. headquarters. Hailey led the way, her heels clicking on the floor and her black trench coat waving behind her. Mokuba walked slightly to Hailey's right side, hands in his suit pockets, looking at his sister-in-law as she angrily made her way to the unsuspecting members of the PR staff.

"Hailey, don't go to hard on them. Or at least don't fire them all." Mokuba warned her before she opened the door to the department.

Hailey just shrugged her shoulders and threw open the doors. Everyone in the room looked up at their obviously angry boss, all thinking about what they might have done to upset the female CEO enough to make her come down to their level of the building personally. And to make matters worse the youngest Kaiba was standing behind her.

All eyes followed the angry looking woman as she walked across the room to the head of department's office, not even paying attention to the secretary trying to tell her that the head was in a very important business meeting. Hailey threw the secretary a glare that could have frozen the whole world over and the secretary backed away quickly letting her and Mokuba through.

Everyone around the glass table looked up when a very furious looking Hailey Kaiba walked into the conference room. The department head, Hojo Higurashi (**A/N: LoL I had to add a little Inu-Yasha into the story**), stood and looked at Hailey.

"Is there something you needed Mrs. Kaiba, because I am in a very important meeting," Hojo asked, knowing he might just get fired because of saying that.

"Yes, this is important, and hopefully it won't take long," Hailey replied coldly, the occupants in the room edging away from her. Hailey pulled out the magazine and threw it down the table to Hojo. He picked up the magazine and read over the front page and then scanned the article, his eyes getting larger by the second.

"I…I…I had no idea that this was released. How did we not catch this?" Hojo stuttered, timidly looking back up at his boss.

"That's what I would like to know." Hailey bit out coldly. Her ice blue eyes scanned the room, quickly assessing who was there; representatives from different agencies and publication companies. Satisfied with the gathering of people, the young CEO turned her attention back to her own head of press relations, who was now seated again.

"Ma'am, I will have our teams on this right way to see if we can asses the damage and get this mess cleaned up as soon as possible," Hojo replied numbly, silently thanking the heavens that the cold woman hadn't blown up and fired him on the spot.

"See that you do. And take to mind that if I ever hear that something like this comes up again where my beloved husbands name or my own or that of my families ever gets slandered like it was here, you will be out of a job quicker than you can say Blue Eyes White Dragon." And with that Hailey Kaiba left the room, leaving a paling Hojo and all the scared representatives cowering in her wake.

Mokuba followed Hailey out to the lobby of the Kaiba Corp. building where a limo was waiting to take Hailey home.

"Mokuba are you coming home or are you going to stay here for a while longer?" Hailey asked, quietly fastening her trench coat closed to ward off the cold breeze that was usual for downtown Domino.

"I think I'll stay here for awhile longer. I've got a meeting with the board of directors tomorrow about the new Duel Disk Four," the raven haired man replied, following Hailey out of the building and opening the door of the limo for her. "Go home and get some rest."

"I've been resting for about two months now! I promise though that I'll only work for about an hour, and then I'll get to the rest. Goodbye Mokuba," she replied, pulling the door shut and signaling for the diver to go.

Mokuba backed away from the curb, watching the limo drive off before re-entering the building and heading up to his office.

(**A/N: Now we are going to go see what Hailey is up to for the rest of the chapter so don't get confused because that's all we are going to deal with for the rest of this chapter. Hahahahaha!**)

Hailey looked up at the Kaiba Mansion. The large building looked eerie with the gathering clouds behind it. The perfect place for what had happened in it. A light breeze ruffled her black trench coat as she walked up the long, pebbled driveway. As she stepped inside it began to drizzle lightly.

She looked around the ovular front room. White marble stretched the expanse or the room up to the grand staircase. The silver handrail glittered from the light reflected off the crystal chandelier overhead.

She briefly glanced toward the middle door on the right side of the hallway. The way was barred, a large silver lock hung on the double handles. That room had been Seto's study. The study where Seto had seen the last few moments of his life. Hailey held the key. She had locked it after the police had left. She didn't exactly understand it herself, but the place was sacred. Untouched. It had been rearranged to resemble the office as Seto would have left it, and no one had been in it for almost five years.

Hailey turned away and entered in to the doorway opposite it on the left side. The room on the other side showed evidence of a child's game room, with many game systems and other such things to entertain her, but now, (with the exception of several game prototypes she was designing) the room had been cleared of the childish devices. She added a desk, several bookshelves, and many electronic devices to handle her ever-advancing technology.

Hailey slammed her briefcase down on her desk and through herself into the high-backed, leather chair identical to the one at her office. She was still coursing with rage from her visit to the PR department.

She pulled out her computer and began to add more adjustments when her maid carefully opened the door. She held a stack of letters. "The mail is here Mrs. Kaiba."

"Bring it here," Hailey said coldly without looking up. She timidly stepped inside the room, her heels clicking uncomfortable loud in the silent room. She placed the letters in her extended hand. "And bring me some aspirin." The maid bowed and hurried to grab the medicine.

Hailey began sorting through the mail. Five letters were unmarked with red hearts drawn on the edges. He threw them away. There were three thank you cards, six bills, and two Company Ball invitations. And another... Hailey stared at it. It was from her law firm. He tore it open.

_Dear Mrs. Kaiba,_

_Greetings. It is my sad duty to inform you that Joey Wheeler has filed for an appeal through her lawyer Yugi Mouto, who contacted my office this afternoon. The date has been set for November 13th. Please contact me before then._

_Sincerely,_

_Misao Makimachi _

Hailey reread the letter. Did Wheeler really think that five years would change what had happened? What he had done? And Yugi..._'That's what he wanted when he came to my office a few months ago. He wanted me to drop the charges.'_ Hailey slammed her fist on the desktop. _'But I'll be ready,'_ he thought._ 'I'll rot in hell before I see Joey Wheeler free.'_

Her maid reentered and Hailey quickly tossed the pills in her mouth and drank the water. He motioned her to take it away as she wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She picked the tray up and took a tentative step toward the door. Then she turned around

"Um... Mrs. Kaiba?" she said. She glanced at her, and she felt the small bit of courage she had worked up diminish. "I...I... well..."

"Spit it out and quit wasting my time," Hailey said returning her gaze to her computer.

"Well... a-as you know, Mrs. K-Kaiba, I come from a...a financially challenged family..."

'_Oh,'_ thought Hailey. _'It's about money.' _She took her eyes from the screen and looked into hers, a vivid green. She took a shaky breath and continued.

"Well... m-my mother...s-she's been diagnosed...w-with cancer...a-and she n-needs an operation. B-but my little sister...s-she wanted to start school a-and we wouldn't be able to afford it a-and..."

"And you want an extension in pay?"

"N-no ma'am. I-I just wanted a...a l-loan."

Hailey looked her over, considering. _'Little sister...'_ She waited in anticipation. She finally reached across the desk and pulled out a small stack of papers. "Fill these out and we'll see," she said, handing it to her.

She smiled very widely, nearly on the verge of skipping with joy. "Thank you Mrs. Kaiba!" she said, and turned to leave the room.

"Maria," Hailey said. She turned shocked that she knew her name. "You may want to consider asking for a raise." She nodded and continued to look at her strangely. She felt a nerve twitch and she raised a brow. "GET OUT." She fled.

(**A/N: After a long consideration, I decided not to cut it off at this spot and continue with the story. F.Y.I: I know a lot about computers but my machines/everything else is all made up. I also know nothing about law so the above letter and any later court appearances are fictional**)

Hailey leaned back in her chair, shocked at her random moment of kindness. She looked at the clock on her desk, sighing heavily. It was around four o' clock. Her computer graphics could wait awhile, she decided. She stood up and walked over to the latest of the game pods; the one she was working on with Devlin Inc. There were a grand total of six, all-varying slightly, but they all were based on the game of virtual reality.

She walked past her earlier units. A replica of her husband's game system, another chaired system of her own design, a walkway system, a holographic simulator, an unfinished portable virtual reality chamber (the latest project), and her favorite: a stationary version of the virtual reality chamber.

It had a ten-foot long circular base and four silver poles eight feet high protruding from it. She stepped inside and stood on the footpads in the center. The system began to rev slightly as it started up.

A flat, holographic screen opened up in front of her. She placed her hand on it and grinned as it held fast. Her experimental probes were working properly today.

A light scanned her and her name flashed across the screen. The same happened as it scanned her pupil.

"Provide voice confirmation." A mechanical voice echoed.

"Hailey Kaiba," she said coldly.

"Confirmation. Welcome Mrs. Kaiba." A shimmering holographic wall slowly built itself up around her. The light passed through the four silver polls and met in a point at the top.

"Activate Duel Monsters inventory." The screen flashed and a long list of options appeared. Hailey scrolled down the list and selected the holographic dueling component she had been designing. The program was still full of bugs, and it had crashed the system several times. She was hoping it might work today since she had figured out many of the issues.

The biggest problem was that she was working with a type of hologram that could be felt, one that could maintain physical contact with minor or no fazing at all. The opening sequence was working fine so perhaps the other components would as well.

"Activate card selection menu," she said. A menu appeared, a collection of every duel monsters card know to man. She grinned as she saw the one she wanted: The Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

She reached for it tentatively, praying with all her being that the programming would hold. She pulled the card form the slide and smirked triumphantly as it sat in her left hand. The form and solidity of a Duel Monsters card without packing then around.

She suddenly gave a loud cry as a current shoe through her arm and the system began to phase in and out. The card in her hand had vanished; the system was crashing.

Hailey knew she had to get out before the electric discharge the machine was producing killed him. She backed up slowly, her left arm hanging limply at her side, numb form the shock it received.

The wall behind her suddenly halted her retreat. _'Oh shit.' _The holographic wall had not phased out yet. She was trapped.

She dropped to the ground. Where the hell was that switch? She ran her unharmed hand over the floor of the machine. The discharge was increasing.

She figured on ten seconds...

9…where the hell was that switch?

8…_'shit!'_

7…why the hell couldn't she find it?

6…It shouldn't be this difficult!

5…She created the damn machine!

4…_'Son of a….'_

3…_'There!'_

2…She pulled it and threw herself backwards against the wall.

1…The wall phased out and Hailey felt the hard floor meet her back through tattered clothing. Then blackness took her…

Hailey opened her eyes. For a moment, she wondered if she really had done so. The room was pitch, black. There was a dull throbbing in her head and her left hand lay motionless by her side. She used her right to prop herself up.

Her eyes continued to adjust to the light, a mere pale glow from the pale starlight outside. She groaned as she sat up. Every joint in her left arm went from numb to aching in seconds. A vessel above her left wrist had burst. There was a half-dried puddle of blood on the floor and some had matted in her raven hair.

She stumbled toward her desk, a dizzying sickness clouding her head. When she reached it, she fell into her chair. Hailey glanced toward the digital clock. The face was dark. She found it quite funny. The reality chamber had killed the whole house.

She heard a grandfather clock chime somewhere in the darkened abyss of the mansion's vast hallways. She counted the chimes. _9...10...11...12..._ It was midnight.

'_Eight hours?'_ she thought checking the watch on her wrist. It, too, was dead. _'I was on the verge of dead for eight hours? What Seto would say now?'_

Hailey was dead tired. She sat a few moments, staring idly at the ceiling, and then she moved toward the door. The hinges creaked slightly as it opened. Hailey shivered. _'Damn, is this house creepy at night,' _she thought. The front room was dark. She went up the marble staircase. The servants had long since gone home, so perhaps even if she hadn't blown out the fuses it would have been dark.

Hailey paused at the top of the stairway. Her bedroom was to the right, but her eyes followed a pathway to the left hallway again. That was the way to their old room.

Half against her will she moved toward the left. Three doors she passed and then…the old room. She reached for the doorknob, her hand shaking slightly; Her mind was racing. _'What the hell am I doing?'_ But she couldn't fight the urge to enter into her old room.

The faint glow of starlight entered through the open curtains. Hailey shivered, for the room, was deadly cold against her bare skin through the tattered trench coat.

Everything was exactly as she had left Seto's things. The cologne, combs, and towels were arranged neatly on the desk covered in a thick layer of dust. The dresser and show rack followed suit. And the bed, in the center of the room, lay untouched, the navy sheets and comforter neatly folded. A mirror sat in the corner, still tilted from its last use.

A soft smile reached her solemn mouth.

**Flashback**

_The pitter-patter of running water could be heard through the thick maple door. Sunlight poured into the almost cheerful looking room. Clothes from the day before were strewn carelessly around the floor. _

_A small raven-haired head poked through the hallway door. "Seto?" a small, girlish voice asked._

_Hailey had awakened far earlier than usual and had crept downstairs for and hour, waiting for her husband to wake up, but when he hadn't came down, she had to go and investigate. She had thought of the plan of surprising him and had crept silently back upstairs, seeking out her young husband. She heard the shower running in the bathroom. The young Kaiba matriarch opened the door a bit wider, a mischievous grin spreading over her face._

_She ran and jumped onto the bed, pulling the covers over her head. She listened, quivering with excitement and retaining a fit of giggles._

_The drip of water suddenly halted and footsteps were heard coming toward the door. The door creaked as Seto opened the door._

_His blue eyes swept around the room, and he noticed a lump in the bed. He smiled and momentarily ignoring the lump in the bed, he began to pull on a pair of black pants and a black shirt, whistling some nonsense tune._

_He walked to the door, pulled it open, and then closed it. The bundle stirred as Seto crept behind it. _

_Hailey threw the covers off. She looked downcast, upset that her husband had seemingly not noticed her. Then Seto pounced._

_He grabbed Hailey around the waist and flipped her upside down. The tickling commenced. Hailey screamed and began to squirm trying to free herself from her husband's grip._

"_Sneak up on me, will you?" Seto cried, still tickling his squirming wife._

_Seto stopped and dropped Hailey on the bed. Hailey looked at her husband with sparkling azure-blue eyes._

"_No fair," she panted. "You jumped me." she reached around behind her, grabbed one of the pillows, and the struggle ensued once more. _

"_Now who cheated?" Seto said when they had finally collapsed on the bed. _

"_Still you, Seto," Hailey said, whacking Seto one more time. Seto just smiled a rare softness in his blue eyes..._

**End Flashback**

Hailey reached a hand out to the long, round mirror in front of her. She wiped a thick layer of dust from it. Azure-blue eyes looked back at her tiredly. The clock chimed 12:30.

She wiped another stripe of dust from the reflective surface. She looked and saw something reflected there again that shouldn't..._couldn't_ be there.

She turned form the mirror, her eyes wide. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breath was coming in short gasps. But it wasn't there... no one was there...nothing.

She looked back to the mirror. There they were _again. _"No," she whispered. She heard a deep, cold laughter ringing the chilled air.

Panic flooded her and she fled, slamming the door behind her. She ran down the hall and into her bedroom, where she collapsed on the bed, shaking. But she didn't fall asleep for a long time. And she couldn't get them out of his mind.

Those eyes again...

Those dead blue eyes...

**Okay, so I think I'll leave it at that for chapter three of _The White Rose_. This sure did take a while to write, that it did. If you thought that the whole Hailey seeing 'those dead blue eyes' again was familiar then you are right. I used that part back in chapter one. Though I added the part about her hearing Seto's cold malicious laughter this time. I also threw in the part about Joey being arrested for the murder of Seto Kaiba into this chapter. I know that it's getting confusing with the whole Hailey finding information on Dartz and all of the strange dreams/visions of Dartz and Seto before he was killed, but I promise that it will all make sense in the end. And for all of you that like Joey, I'm sorry but, he had to be arrested for the plot of my story to be filled out. Or at least I think so... And to clear something up for both myself and you readers, this story starts in early September of the fifth year after Seto's death, making it around, oh lets say, November 3rd at the end of this installment of _The White Rose_. Well I hoped you liked it and please keep reading and review. I want to know what you think of this!**

**Mazakai **

**P.S. I said in the last end of chapter thing for chapter two that I hoped that this chapter would be shorter than chapter two's forty-one pages, and I did! THIRTY-SEVEN PAGES, heck yes man! Okay, I know that it isn't a huge accomplishment, but still, I had to cut some stuff out of chapter two and put it in another chapter. Alright, I really am done. Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4: Go to The Pound, Mutt

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 4: Go to the Pound, Mutt…**

A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

**By: **Mazakai

**Started:** May 31, 2006

**Completed: **

**Posted:**

**Disclaimer:** First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba! This is for fun not for profit.

**Warning: **This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death.

Recap from chapter Three: 

Hailey goes to visit Seto's grave for the first time in a long while. When she gets back her family is waiting for her. When the Ishtar's left Japan they give the young female CEO a little black wolf cub, who Hailey decided to call Fiyero. Then Hailey gets her cast taken off and now the fiery young woman is back and there's hell to pay for some people. First off a news paper article was published that clearly tarnished or at least mocked to the Kaiba name. And then there is always the matter of the accused Joey Wheeler as his appeal case approaches. Though Hailey's determined to make sure that he'll never get out; he murdered her dear husband and must pay the most sever price. Once again Hailey wanders into her's and Seto's old room and sees the eyes in the mirror though she also hears his cold maniacal laughter ringing in the dark of the night. And that's where we left the young Mrs. Kaiba. What will happen next in the epic White Rose story?

"Your honor, we have acquired new evidence and possibly an alibi for Joey Wheeler, and he was no where near the Kaiba Mansion at the approximate time of the murder."

The judge looked over the papers in his hand. "A plausible appeal, I suppose, but how can you prove it?"

Yugi Mouto smiled confidently. "We have a witness, _two _witnesses in fact." Hailey cringed inwardly at the way Yugi strutted around the courtroom, his purple eyes glittering with confidence. It would be his first high-profile case and he was ready.

The judge 'hummed' a bit as he looked at the papers through his spectacles. He finally looked up and clicked once with his hammer. The court held its breath. "I believe a new trial is in order due to the presentation of new evidence. Court is adjourned."

Hailey stood aghast, biting back her anger as the courtroom emptied. She over heard Yugi talking with his client.

"Oh! Thanks, Yug! I knew ya'd get me outta this!" Joey exclaimed wringing Yugi's hand. As you can guess, a change had taken place in Joey during his five-year incarceration. His dirty blonde hair had grown out to his shoulders and he was beginning to grow a very fine blonde beard. His brown eyes had sunk back in his head slightly by they were lit up with joy at their success.

Yugi grinned back. "You're welcome, Joey, but don't forget this is only the first step. We've still got a battle ahead of us."

A pair of hands suddenly snaked their way around Yugi's shoulders and he jumped, and then let out a sigh of relief as he turned around. "OH! Tea, dear, you frightened me!" He exclaimed as he embraced her gently.

Tea grinned at him and then she looked up to Joey.

"Hey Tea," Joey said pulling her in for a hug. Then he felt something sink into is lower leg. He looked down as he gasped and jumped away from Tea and met a pair of deep blue eyes. "Well," he said laughing. "Who's this little ankle-biter?" She spit her tongue at him and ran behind Yugi's leg.

"This is Cecilia," said Yugi laughing as well. "Sorry about that, Joey, she's in the biting stage." He turned around to pick her up but she was no longer behind him. Yugi turned all the way and watched in horror as she tottered across to the other bench where Hailey was talking to her attorney.

Hailey jolted and turned as she felt the sudden sting of teeth to the back of her leg. She watched Cecilia cry out and run back across the floor to her parents. "Meanie," she said, sticking her tongue out at her.

She glowered at the family, who were silently laughing at their child's antics. "Oh very cute, Mouto," she spat viciously. "Are you going to teach her to bark next?" She met an angry glance from Joey. A crooked smile found her lips. "Think you're going to get off, do you Wheeler?" She said. "Well, don't hold your breath. It's not going to happen." She turned suddenly through the swinging doors. Her silver trench coat billowed behind her.

"Gee," said Joey, eyeing Hailey's retreating form with sudden dislike. "Someone pissed in your Wheaties, I see."

"Joey, she is having a hard time. At least let some of this dislike and change go to the fact that she's heartbroken and in pain of the loss of the one she loved most." Tea said looking over at her old friend with a strange amount of wisdom in her light blue eyes.

"Still, you would never have guessed she was the sweet young lady we met all those years ago. I had one of those dreams that I used to have about Kaiba; the one where he's ordering me around like I'm his dog or something, but only this time it wasn't Kaiba who was bossing me around and being an ass, it was Hailey." Joey said quietly.

Tea placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way, "Don't worry, you'll be out of jail in no time, and hopefully, Hailey will realize how bad she's treating us in the end."

"I hope your right dear. I hope your right." Yugi said solemnly.

Hailey strode into the Kaiba Corp building after the appeal hearing. She rode the elevator up to her level and entered her floor. Walking by Tsubame's desk, the young woman handed her boss a slip of paper and went back to work.

Hailey threw her office doors open and walked over to her desk, slamming the silver briefcase down on the hard wood surface. Opening the letter Tsubame had given her, Hailey quickly scanned the paper. Devlin Inc. had called while she was out and Mokuba wanted her to call her after the hearing.

Picking her phone up, Hailey quickly entered Mokuba' number and waited for the young man to answer. After a few seconds, he picked up the phone with a curt "Kaiba."

"Mokuba, it's me. You called." Hailey asked in a monotone. She really wasn't in the mood for talking.

"Yeah, how did the hearing go?"

"He got the okay for an appeal, so I have to go back in for the trial in five days. Misao and I are trying everything to get him back in for good, but his lawyer, who get this is Yugi Mouto, said he found some new evidence. Do you want to go and watch?" Hailey replied, pulling up some files on her computer.

"I think we have some meetings so I'll sit in on those for you. And besides I don't think that the court room could handle two stubborn Kaiba's in the same court house while they judge the man that killed Seto," Mokuba said somewhat humorously.

"I guess your right, well thanks for taking those meetings. Maybe I should make you the new CEO of the company? You taken my place in a lot of the board meetings this year," Hailey said dryly. They had always joked about Mokuba taking her place when things got to the point where he was the lone representative at board meeting.

"No thanks, sister. I have enough work to do as the vice president; I don't think I would have the stamina to do the work of the CEO. I still can't see how both you and Seto handled it." Mokuba breathed heavily. He had never wanted the position of CEO and was glad that he didn't have to at the moment.

"I wonder the same thing at times. Well, I'll let you get back to your busy work as **_vice president_**!" Hailey said jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up would you."

"Good-bye Mokuba."

Hailey hung up the phone and looked back at her computer. Quickly she set to work, nearly finishing the designs and mechanics of the portable dueling arena project. Attaching the files to an e-mail, Hailey quickly mailed it to the designers at Devlin Inc.

Her other work went by quickly and she stood, collecting the papers and walking out to Tsubame.

"I want these taken care of. They're all finished they just need to be delivered."

"Right away Mrs. Kaiba."

Five days later Hailey was walking confidently beside her attorney, Misao Makimachi. The short, raven hair woman held a black briefcase in one had and the other hung by her waist. Her trim black pant suit accented her gray knee length coat. Her long hair was pulled into a half pony-tail and her bangs hung stylishly in her face.

Hailey walked beside Misao, her navy trench coat billowing in the wind behind her. Her loose black skirt hung above her knees and a pair of black boots adorned her legs. A black turtle-necked shirt covered her upper body and a set of gold arm bands lined both of her arms (like what Seto did when he went to meet Ishizu before battle city with his purple trench coat and the silver gauntlets during Battle City). A silver metal briefcase hung at her side.

Both young women were prepared for the court room. They had looks of pure determination and in Hailey's case pure hatred and loathing for the man she was about to see in court.

As the two formidable women entered the building, people looked up from what they were doing and watched as the women entered the court room. Camera men and women snapped pictures and reporters tried to snag a quote from Hailey as she walked by. Misao quickly tried to shoo them away. A young man slightly older and taller than Hailey joined them as they walked down to the prosecutor's desk, clearing the way down the opening between the two columns of seating. It was Aoshi Shinomori, Misao's assistant and more importantly, her fiancé. All three of them sat down and waited for the judge, jury, and defendant to arrive.

After five minutes of waiting there was a racket outside the doors and suddenly they were thrown open and there stood Yugi and Tea Mouto and Joey Wheeler. Misao, Hailey, and Aoshi stood up and watched silently. Reporters and camera people were all trying to get to the defendant, but they were pushed back by the guards. The trio made its way down to the end of the court room and took their places in the front of the room. The news people were all lined up along the back wall of the room.

Hailey looked over at Joey and noticed that he had shaved and cleaned up before he had come to the court house. He was now dressed in a nice pair of pants and a brown and blue striped polo shirt. Hailey 'hmphed' slightly and turned her attention back to the front of the room.

"Mr. Mouto, where is your witness?"

Yugi bowed his head, his violet eyes angrily glaring at the floor. "I don't know, Your Honor," he said quietly.

"Mr. Mouto, this trial will commence with or without your witness. Miss Makimachi, your opening statement, please!"

Misao stood up, her aqua eyes gleaming as a superior smirk spread over her face. "So sorry about the unreliable witnesses, Mr. Mouto," she said.

Yugi could tell what she really meant by the comment. 'Get ready to loose, Mouto, 'cause you've never dealt with anyone like me before.'

He nodded curtly in return. "They will come." A direct challenge.

Misao's eyes narrowed and she laughed softly before turning to the jury confidently. She was the best lawyer in Domino and she knew it. Misao Makimachi had never lost a case. And this wasn't going to be any different.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury," she began. "I'll make my point quickly. We are here to reinstate the just punishment laid on Mr. Wheeler's head. 'Why?' You ask. This man, this simple, oblivious fool, took the life of an innocent man, leaving those who loved him to suffer for the rest of their lives. And he did this out of spite, hatred, and jealousy. Once a killer, always a killer, and he cannot go free."

She returned to her seat smiling. The judge nodded to Yugi. "Mr. Mouto."

Yugi stood up. His eyes were slightly troubled as he looked around the courtroom before turning to the Jurors.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began. "I'm sure you've all heard of Joey Wheeler: a bloodthirsty killer; cold, cruel, ruthless." Some of the Jurors were nodding with furrowed brows. "Well, you're wrong. That's not Joey Wheeler. It's not who he is and not who he was five years ago. Joey's a duelist who always follows his heart. He's a good and loyal friend and a caring brother. He understands the fellowship that bonds friends and family together and he believes in its truth and purity with all his heart. And he would never take that away from anyone, even someone like Seto Kaiba." Yugi gave a polite bow. "Thank you." He walked back to his seat smiling.

Misao nodded slightly, and then stood. "I would like to call my first witness."

"Proceed."

"I call Hailey Kaiba to the stand."

Hailey walked solemnly to the podium and sat.

"State your name for the court."

"Hailey Kaiba."

"Mrs. Kaiba," Misao said. "I have a question. Where were you when your husband was killed?"

"I was up in our room asleep, but I was awakened by the thunder that night because it was storming," Hailey answered.

"Mrs. Kaiba, did you notice anything strange when you saw that your husband was not in bed beside you when you awoke?"

"Yes, he had told me before I went up to bed earlier that he would be up in bed before midnight. When I woke up it was around two thirty in the morning."

"What did you do when you realized he wasn't with you?"

"I got out of bed and walked towards the stair case to go and check on him. I heard a crash, but just thought Seto had gotten mad at something again. I then went to my brother-in-laws room, Mokuba Kaiba, and woke him up to go with me to check on Seto. The mansion had an eerie felling that night and I didn't wan to be alone. We walked down to his office and when I opened the door the first thing that I saw was that the office was a mess, and never in my years of knowing my husband had he ever had that office out of place once. Then I looked down and saw him, my Seto, lying on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding…surrounding his head. He was dead when I got there." Hailey replied, clearing her throat of that all to familiar uncomfortable lump in her throat. "I didn't…swallowI didn't even get to say good-bye"

"Thank you for restating that Mrs. Kaiba. I have one more thing to clear up Mrs. Kaiba. Mrs. Kaiba, we have a report saying that Mr. Wheeler had stopped by your residence and had a vehement conversation with you husband on the day of his murder. Can you verify that?"

Hailey's eyes narrowed, remembering that argument. "Yes."

"When was he in Mr. Kaiba's office?"

"Right after school got out." Hailey said. "Set had been forced to close the branch of Kaiba Corp that I think Mr. Wheeler's sister had been working at earlier in the week and Mr. Wheeler was angered by that."

"So he went to his office?"

"Yes." Hailey said firmly.

"Were your husband and Mr. Wheeler in there for a long period of time?"

"No."

"Did they get mad at each other?"

Hailey looked up. "Yes, there were some verbal insults. Seto and Mr. Wheeler had never been great friends and Seto had never liked being in Mr. Wheeler's company for very long. He was angered that Mr. Wheeler had the nerve to bother him at home."

"How do you know this?"

"Seto told after Mr. Wheeler had left mansion. I had gone to check up on him because I heard the yelling from the fight."

"Thank you Mrs. Kaiba. I have no further questions your honor." Misao stated and walked back to her seat.

"Mr. Mouto you may now question the witness if you like."

"Yes your honor, I would."

Yugi got up from behind the stand and walked towards Hailey. He had an odd glint in his eyes. Hailey just glared back at him with her ice blue eyes.

"Mrs. Kaiba, when you heard the fight going on between Mr. Wheeler and your husband, why didn't you go and try to stop the fight? You were friends with my client for a while back in school."

"My husband was a big boy; he could handle his own battles. And besides I wouldn't have stopped him from divulging in to one of his favorite pastimes: insulting the 'mutt'. He always enjoyed playing with his little brain." Hailey responded spitefully.

"The dutiful wife I see. Though I thought that you were also a loyal friend as well. Why didn't you step up and try to help my client."

"Objection!" Misao cried, standing up, "Mr. Mouto is trying to lead my client on."

"Sustained. Mr. Mouto make your point and make it now."

"Yes your honor. Alright Mrs. Kaiba, did it hurt you to know that your friend was charged for your husband's murder."

"Yes, I felt betrayed. Mr. Wheeler and I had been good friends ever since I came from Egypt and to think that he could hate Seto enough to kill him makes my heart go numb."

You could here Joey mumble in the background, "What heart?" Hailey turned her cold blue gaze upon him and he shrunk back slightly.

"Your honor, I have no further questions for the witness."

"Fine, Mrs. Kaiba you may step down."

Hailey quickly left the box and walked back to her seat. Misao leaned over quickly to talk to her.

"If we can't get Wheeler for the murder if Mouto's witness stand true, we can get him for the times he stole from Kaiba Corp as your security camera's showed and from countless other place. I had the police send me those files and tapes over." She whispered.

Hailey merely nodded her head. It was true that they had gotten a few videos of Joey stealing from different stores and they had found tapes of when he had stolen from other stores. It always helped to be the lead company in several different technological venues.

"Your honor, if it would be alright with you, I'd like to take a twenty minute recess." Yugi asked before he made his way back to the defendant's desk.

"Fine, this court is taking a twenty minute recess, we will continue at precisely 11:25 a.m." the judge said before standing and walking out of the court room.

Hailey, Misao, and Aoshi stood and walked out of the court room. Hailey pulled out her blue flip phone and turned to her attorney and her assistant. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"What's on the menu?" Misao asked, feeling a little hungry now that Hailey mentioned it.

"I think that I want to get some crepes. Does that sound good to you two?" Hailey asked as she started dialing the number of the gourmet crepe shop.

"Sure, I'll take a chicken and cheese one with a strawberry and chocolate covered desert crepe. Aoshi, what do you want?" Misao said turning to her fiancé.

"I'll have the same as Misao, if you please Mrs. Kaiba," Aoshi said quietly, looking back at Misao.

"Right." The person at the crepe place picked up and Hailey relayed all of their orders to the boy. A few minutes later a young woman pulled up in a red car with the shops name plastered on the side. Slowly she approached the group and Hailey raised her hand to show where she was supposed to come.

Timidly the girl walked up to them and handed Hailey the bag with their food in it. Hailey handed her a few yen and the girl scampered off and away.

The group made its way to some of the benches outside of the court room and ate their lunch, talking about the trial and different strategies they could use against Mouto and his client.

"Well, if the **_mutt_** and his lawyer do manage to have a legit witness, we have a back-up plan for that one. His records from the '**_pound_**' are miles long. There's no way he'll be getting out anytime soon." Misao said coolly, emphasizing the mutt and pound in her sentences. She had taken on the old habit started by Seto and then continued by Hailey of calling Joey a 'mutt'. During this whole ordeal, she had opted to call him by that old insult and then referred to jail as the pound to add to the lasting insult.

Coincidentally as she had said the whole part about the mutt and the pound bit, quietly of course incase of listening ears, Joey, Yugi, and Tea all walked by with a few of the guards. They were carrying McDonald's bags with them. Joey twitched when he heard the insults and started acting spastic like he always did when he heard the insult.

"Oi bitch, who's ya calling a mutt!" Joey yelled. He nearly launched himself at the small woman but was held back by Tea, Yugi, and some of the guards in the area. Aoshi had also sprung up, taking a protective stance in front of Misao, a fiery look in his eyes, promising pain if his Misao had been hurt or touched for that matter.

"Mouto, would you kindly keep you dog away from my lawyer and her assistant and more importantly, away from me!" Hailey spat out coldly, eyes glinting with a dangerous cold blue fire.

"Kaiba, I will if you stop harassing my client," the shorter man replied back, looking slightly up at the female CEO.

Hailey merely huffed and walked away from the group of people, quickly followed by Aoshi and Misao. Joey growled under his breath, relaxing his muscles to signal to the people holding him that he wasn't going to attack anymore.

In all the turmoil, no one had seen the reporters taking pictures of Joey jumping at Hailey, or that fact that they had quoted the conversation between Joey, Hailey, and Yugi. There would be hell to pay the next morning when their articles came out and the world, or at least Japan saw what had happened.

Back inside the court room, the two consuls were talking to their clients, discussing what might or might not happen during the course of the next few hours, or possibly days.

Hailey sat there listening quietly to Misao speak, her ki pulsating with rage and hatred for the blonde sitting a mere few feet to her left. Misao and Aoshi both took notice to the fact that Hailey was nearly emitting a blue aura around her stiff form.

"Hailey, it will be alright. We'll get him back in the pound one way or another. He won't be walking out of here a free man." Misao said comfortingly to her client. Aoshi nodded briefly before moving to sit beside Hailey on her right side where Misao took the seat to her left. The press slowly made its way back into the room. They took their places along the back wall.

Five minutes later the judge returned and banged his gavel to get the attention of the court rooms' occupants. "Alright, this court room is now in session. Mr. Mouto, you have the floor."

"Your honor I call Joey Wheeler to the stand."

Joey walked solemnly to the podium and sat.

"State your name for the court."

"Joey Wheeler."

"Mr. Wheeler," Yugi said. "I have one question. Did you or did you not kill Seto Kaiba?"

"I did not kill him," Joey answered.

"Mr. Wheeler, could you give us a reason on why you wouldn't and didn't kill Mr. Kaiba."

"No one deserves to have their life taken away from them at such a young age. Even a guy like Kaiba didn't deserve that. I wouldn't have taken that away from him. Besides my one of my best friends at that time was married to the guy. I would have never caused her that much pain and lose."

"A worthy appeal"

"I'd like to think so" Joey said.

"Objection," Misao stood. "Mr. Mouto is restating his appeal that he used the last time in court. This is not the new evidence and/or alibi that he promised."

"She's right," said the judge. "State your new evidence, Mr. Mouto."

"Yes your honor, I would but there's only one problem. You see sir they aren't here at the moment. I've tried reaching them, but I can't seem to make contact."

The judge's brow furrowed. "I don't like to be kept waiting Mr. Mouto. You told me the same thing at the start of this trial. I want to see you witnesses. If you have no further questions, Mr. Mouto then Ms. Makimachi the witness is yours."

"Thank you your honor. Mr. Wheeler," Misao said. "Did you or did you not kill Seto Kaiba?"

"I did not kill him," Joey answered.

(**A/N: I know I used that same question with old Yugi-boy** hehehe…Pegasus…hehehe**, but I needed an opening question for Misao as well and this worked just as well**)

"Mr. Wheeler, we placed you in Mr. Kaiba's home the day of the murder."

"I was askin' Moneybags why he closed down the place where my sister was workin' and I wanted him to open it back up again."

"Or were you making sure he would?"

"I didn't kill him!" Joey yelled.

"Objection," Yugi stood. "Miss Makimachi is harassing my client."

"Sustained," said the judge. "Make your point, Miss Makimachi."

"Mr. Wheeler, we found your finger print on a piece of the shattered Blue-Eyes statue. Can you explain that?"

Joey's brow furrowed. "I touched it on my way outta his office."

"When were you in Mr. Kaiba's office?"

"Right afta' school got out." Joey said. "Kaiba had closed my sistas job down and I wanted him to open it back up again."

"So you went to his office?"

"To talk to him." Joey said firmly.

"So you were in the office early on, but Mr. Wheeler, you have no alibi for where you were all night. Your sister says that you left your residence at six o' clock."

"Then I went to dinner and a movie with a friend."

"Your alibi only goes to 9:30 when you and your 'friend' left the theater. Mr. Kaiba was killed supposedly around and between the time of midnight and two thirty-ish. Where did you go afterwards?"

Joey looked away. "I...uh..."

"Mr. Wheeler, answer the question."

Joey continued to stutter, a faint blush began to crawl over his adverted face. "I...I was...um...I was w-with...um..."

Suddenly the courtroom door thudded open.

"He was with me."

**I think I'll stop this right here. Just to leave you all at a cliff hanger. I've never done a cliff hanger like this before, so I'll try it out. Hehehe, who do you think Joey was with? We'll you'll have to keep reading to find out. Originally this chapter was longer, but I decided to cut it off here. So if you want to find out who he was with, you'll just have to keep reading. Hope ya liked. Please read and review. Bye**

**Mazakai**


	5. Chapter 5: And Collect Two Hundred

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 5: … And Collect Two Hundred Mrs. Kaiba**

A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

**By: **Mazakai

**Started:** May 31, 2006

**Completed: **

**Posted:**

**Disclaimer:** First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba! This is for fun not for profit.

**Warning: **This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death.

Recap from chapter Four: 

The trial that changed so many lives has been reopened on the fact of newly acquired evidence. Joey Wheeler has filed an appeal for the murder of Seto Kaiba; and through his lawyer, Yugi Mouto no less. Hailey, along with her attorney and long time friend, Misao Makimachi, face this challenge head on, determined to see Joey, or the 'Mutt', behind bars once more. What will happen next in **_The White Rose_**?

The entire courtroom started and looked back to the open door.

A tall female stood in the passageway. Long, sweeping locks of golden hair cascaded in ringlets down her face. Joey stood in the witness stand, a shocked look on his face. "Mai..." he whispered.

Yugi smiled triumphantly. "Your Honor, Miss Makimachi," he said. "My witness, Mai Valentine." Mai gracefully began to walk down the aisle. She wore a long black skirt, a matching suit jacket, and a gold undershirt. Her purple eyes stayed glued to Joey. A smile played on her red painted lips.

"Ms. Valentine," the judge said. "Why are you late?"

"Oh, the usual thing, my flight was late," Mai said, winking at him and flipping her hair. His face twitched slightly.

"Take a seat then," he said.

"Your Honor!" Misao's voice rose indignantly. "Really that isn't fair."

"Seeing as the witness did arrive during the duration of the trial, it is legal, but I did have to ask for her twice, so you have been warned Mr. Mouto. I do not appreciate tardiness," the judge replied in a dangerous tone. "Now, Ms. Makimachi if you're finished with your questions, please return to your seat."

Misao pursed her lips, but said nothing more than, "I have no further questions."

"Mr. Wheeler, you may step down."

"Your Honor, I would now like to call my witness, Ms. Valentine to the stand," Yugi said.

"Alright. The court calls Mai Valentine to the stand."

Mai made her way up to the stand and grasped Joey's hand as they passed each other. Yugi walked up behind her and patted Joey on the shoulder reassuringly.

Yugi walked next to the stand. "State your name for the court."

"The one and only Mai Valentine. And that's spelled M-A-I," she said to the recorder.

"Miss Valentine, tell us about your relationship with Mr. Wheeler."

"I met Joey at a Duel Monsters competition," Mai said, musing about 'the good old days'. "And there was something I liked about him right away. Well, we kept running into each other and we had some causal dates now and then…well, that one day in particular, I was leaving for the United States to visit my parents and I didn't want to leave Joey without having one night with him…I…I didn't know if I'd come back, really. So, we had dinner and went to a movie and then…we went back to my apartment. And…it just sorta happened…"

Yugi looked at the judge. "Need she go into further detail, Your Honor, or do we all understand?"

The judge seemed to startle out of some strange dream. "No, no," he said gruffly. "I think we all get it."

"Miss Valentine did you and Mr. Wheeler use any protection?"

Mai laughed. "It hardly mattered. Joey and I weren't really thinking about that at that very moment."

"I see," Yugi said, clearing his throat again. Snickers rose from the jury. "So?"

"So nine months and ten days later, I'm lying in a hospital in France giving birth to a little spitfire with a big mouth, a big heart, and an even bigger appetite."

"What day was that?"

"July 26th."

Yugi turned to the jury. "As you know, Seto Kaiba was killed on the 16th of December sometime around midnight and two thirty in the morning. We also have a tape from the caretaker of Miss Valentine's apartment." He removed a videotape from an evidence bag.

He walked across the floor and stuck it in a video player brought in during the break.

"As you can see," Yugi said, indicating the tape with a laser pointer. "Mr. Wheeler and Miss Valentine retired to her residence at 9:36 P.M. No one left the residence until 4:30 A.M. the next morning."

Misao's eyes darted over the papers in front of her. There had to be some hole. Somewhere. Some uncovered angel. She began to grind her teeth. Then the image of the stack of police reports and lists of offenses popped into her mind and a smirk blossomed onto her lips.

Then she stood, stuck with another sudden thought. "Mr. Mouto, can you prove that the child is Mr. Wheeler's?"

"An excellent question, Ms. Makimachi," Yugi said, smiling a rather triumphant smile. "Which I have taken the liberty of preparing an explanation to." He gave her several pieces of paper and the same amount to a bailiff who then gave them to the judge. "As you can see, we had a lock of hair tested from both Joey and the little girl. They are a positive match."

Murmurs rose from the jury. Hailey looked over at her attorney. "How can we get out of this one," she mouthed at her.

"There are the old offenses against your company and a few others that we can use," she replied quietly back. "They've may have proved one fact, but there are still countless other offenses against the mutt. He'll have a place at the pound for along while."

"Your honor, my client would also like to address one more fact." Misao spoke up, standing with the papers in her hand.

"Yes, what would that be?" the judge asked.

"Your honor, if you look at these papers, you will see that Mr. Wheeler has a rep as long as the Nile River (A**/N: Hailey's from Egypt so that's sort of funny**) and there have been multiple major offenses against my clients company. These weren't addressed because the defense was put into jail before they could be. We would like you to take a look at these and see what should be done about this problem." Misao said confidently as she handed the papers to the bailiff who walked them up to the judge.

One thing Misao was known for was that she always came prepared for anything. Her record of lost cases was clean and her record of wins was one of the highest in the country. That's why Hailey had her as her personal attorney.

"You're right, Ms. Makimachi, these should have been addressed to the court long ago. Thank you for bringing them to my attention." The judge went on to read through the list of offenses and the police reports. Hailey looked over to see Joey's face turn paler and paler as the list continued. Yugi had a look of disbelief on his face. This was obviously something he hadn't thought would come up.

Hailey, Misao, and Aoshi sat at their desk, both young ladies smirking and Aoshi, well Aoshi was just being Aoshi. It had worked! Even if he hadn't killed Seto, he would definitely not be getting out of jail anytime soon. After a few more minutes of the judges reading off of the crimes, he laid the papers down and turned to the court room and then to the bailiff.

"Well," the judge said. "I believe we've heard enough. Bailiff, please escort the jury to the debating room." He nodded and led the jurors out of the room.

They spent little more than an hour in the room before they were escorted back in. The judge was given a piece of paper. The courtroom held its breath as he looked it over. The defense, including Mai and Tea, crossed their fingers.

Hailey held her breath, and for the first time in a long while she prayed. Prayed that the outcome would be good for her.

"On the charges against him for the evident thievery and destruction of Kaiba Corp property and then the countless other crimes against the defendant, we, the court of Domino City, find Joseph Wheeler, to be guilty. On the charge for the murder of Seto Kaiba, we find Mr. Wheeler not guilty."

Hailey smirk threaten to turn into a smile, but she held it in. Misao on the other hand was grinning broadly. Aoshi even had a smirk on his face.

"Alright. Then I sentence the defendant to a thirty year sentence, and this time there will be no appeal nor will he be allowed out on bail," the judge said solemnly, banging his gavel once and then rising and exiting the court room. Two guards walked over to the defense table and took Joey by his arms.

"Time to go Mr. Wheeler."

"Wait could you give my client a chance to say good-bye to Ms. Valentine?" Yugi asked quickly, almost desperately.

"Fine, you have five minutes, then its back to the big house for you."

Joey walked behind Mai and scooped her up into his arms. He twirled her around several times then set her back on the ground. "Mai...I...I've missed you so much," Joey said trailing a hand down her face. He looked into her over bright eyes. "How was Europe?"

"So-so," she answered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But those pastries go straight to your hips."

"You look pretty good to me."

"Not so bad yourself, handsome," she kissed him gently. "Ditch the beard though, Hun. Um…you remember what I said about the child I had."

"Yeah…" Joey said, his heart falling.

Mai smiled and a single tear flowed down her ivory cheek. "She's yours."

Joey stared at her. "W-what?" he stuttered. "She...she's mine? Ours?" Mai smiled and nodded. "A kid..." Joey said absently, running a hand through his hair and looking vaguely into the middle of nowhere. "I have a kid."

He suddenly broke into laughter and he began to twirl Mai around again until she began to squeal.

"Joey! Put me down!"

"Well isn't this sweet?" Hailey's voice carried over to them. She looked at them coldly as they turned. "Stop before you make someone sick."

Joey turned to her. "Ya know what, Kaiba? Shut it." He shook his head as he turned. "She's worse than her husband was."

Hailey bristled. "You didn't even know my husband," she hissed.

Joey shrugged. "I know how he acted, and it wasn't nice. He had everything he could ever have wanted and it wasn't good enough for him. And you're worse than him 'cause you don't even have what you want."

"I lost the only person who ever really knew me and loved me that way. I had to run a company all by myself. You don't know what your talking about because you always had someone like that by your side, always had someone who cared about you. When Seto was killed I was all alone."

"You didn't have to be, but you took after your husband and pushed away people willing to care for you in his stead."

Hailey scoffed. "Yeah right. I don't need anyone."

"But someone might have needed you."

People slowly began to file back into the courtroom. Hailey and Joey stared at each other with increasing dislike. _'Well, I understand why Seto couldn't stand him.'_

"Well at least I won't have to see the likes of you anytime soon," Hailey replied coldly. "I got what I wanted."

Misao tapped Hailey on the shoulder and handed her a slip of paper and then waved good-bye with Aoshi following behind her.

Hailey was still lost in angry thoughts and was about to leave when Joey and Yugi stepped in front of her.

"Hailey," Joey said. Hailey paid little attention. "Listen, I'm sorry 'bout what happened to your husband. But I think you need to give it up."

"Give what up?"

"His life. The way he talked, acted, dressed. That's not you, Hailey. You never liked how your husband acted."

"How do you know?" Hailey stood up and slammed her hands down on the desk. "What did you ever know?"

Joey looked at her sympathetically. He shook his head. "A lot more than you would think." Then he walked back to Mai and put his arms around her.

Hailey looked disgustedly on the scene and quickly gathered her things.

"Hailey!" Yugi yelled as she started out the door. She turned and glared at the spiky-haired lawyer.

"What?" she said as coldly as she could muster.

"Joey didn't kill your husband."

Hailey scoffed. "Then who did?"

"I don't know if we will ever know that answer."

"Well that's no good enough for me so as far as I'm concerned, the mutt killed my husband."

"The jury didn't seem to think so. You know as well as I do that with this new evidence that he didn't kill Kaiba. You just can't see through your grief or let others help lighten that load."

"Spare me your wife's friendship speeches," Hailey replied dryly.

Yugi continued as if he hadn't heard anything. "You wouldn't see the truth. But you had to have someone to blame. If you ask me he probably killed himself."

Hailey bristled. "Seto wouldn't do that," she said defensively. "He had me, we were happy. He told me everything. He wanted to live his life to the fullest with me by his side. He didn't want to leave me…you just…you just wouldn't and don't understand."

Hailey closed her eyes and turned away, her trench coat billowing out behind her. That's how she left them. The mutt being hauled off to the pound, Mai crying silently, Tea holding on to Yugi as they watched one friend being lead away for what could possibly be the rest of his life and their other, now ex-friend, leaving the court house in a mix of happiness and undefined sorrow.

Hailey called Mokuba as soon as she got into the limo that was waiting for after the trial. She quickly told him what had happened during the course of the trial. He was shocked to find out that Joey hadn't killed Seto and that he had a conceivable (**A/N: No pun intended**) alibi for where he had been during the allotted time frame.

"We really thought we had him didn't we?" Mokuba asked after a few minutes. "He had motive, and he had been there at the mansion the day of the murder. Lots of people knew how much he and big brother disliked each other. It seemed like he was the perfect suspect for the murder. And now that's not even true."

"Yeah, I know. But we still got him locked up again. He won't be out anytime soon if I have a say in things." Hailey replied coldly. She knew in the farthest corner of her mind that Joey hadn't killed her husband, but it still felt better having thought that the person responsible was in jail.

"Does this mean that you're going to keep looking for answers on who really did kill big brother?" Mokuba asked quietly.

"Yes, no doubt about it. I will find out who killed my husband and your brother if it's the last thing I do, even if I die in the process. Hopefully if that happens, I'll take who ever is the real murderer with me." Hailey answered in a cold determined voice.

"Let's hope it doesn't resort to that." Mokuba said, not at all shocked at his sister-in-law's reaction to that question.

"Well, I sure as hell am not leaving it up to the police to deal with it. They'll probably forget about it and give up or let the bastard live in jail with a life sentence." Hailey retorted aggressively.

"So you're going take matters into your own hands. What if the police decide that they want to put you in jail for the count of first degree murder? Hale I really don't think they'll let you out on bail or something." Mokuba asked concern laced in his voice.

"I won't get caught. You know me Mokuba; if I don't want people to know about something, they won't find out about it ever!" Hailey replied, a strange pride sounding in her voice.

"Well you are a Kaiba and you were an Ishtar before that." Mokuba jokingly replied.

"Hey, are the reps from Devlin Inc. there yet? I finished the designed and mechanics for the portable dueling arena. We had a meeting today and I wanted to know if they were still at Kaiba Corp." Hailey asked suddenly. She hoped that the reps were still there so she herself could explain the programs rather than the team she had working on assembling the device.

"Um…hold on a moment. Let me check." Mokuba said before moving the phone from his face. Hailey heard him yell for his secretary and then him asking her about the meeting. A few moments later he picked the phone back up. "Hale, they're still here; the meeting started a few minutes ago. Mr. Devlin arrived late because of something that happened at his company that couldn't be left alone."

"Alright, call down and tell them that I'll be there in a few minutes. Bye Mokuba."

"Okay, see ya later Hale." After this they both hung up.

"Driver, take me to Kaiba Corp." Hailey said into the intercom.

"Right a way Mrs. Kaiba."

Hailey pulled up to the Kaiba Corp building ten minutes after her conversation with Mokuba. Her chauffeur quickly opened her door and Hailey quickly exited the car.

The automatic doors slid open with a hiss as she walked hurriedly into the building. An elevator was waiting for her and quickly took her up the boardroom floor. Tsubame was waiting for her as the elevator door opened.

"Mrs. Kaiba, I've informed the representatives of your arrival. All the papers and diagrams that you asked me to get ready for the meeting for you are sitting at your chair, along with your coffee. Mr. Kaiba told me that you'd probably want a cup when you got here." Tsubame said as she followed Hailey down the hallway to the conference room.

"Thank you Tsubame." Hailey said before opening the door. '_And thank **you **Mokuba for remembering the coffee._'

Hailey pushed the mahogany doors open with both hands and strode over to her seat at the head of the glass table. Tsubame followed behind her silently.

Sitting down at her chair, Hailey scanned the papers in front of her, making sure that everything she needed was there and then took a sip of the caramel smelling coffee. It was perfect and all the papers she needed were there. "Thank you Tsubame, everything's here. You're dismissed."

"Right, Mrs. Kaiba." Tsubame bowed and snuck out of the room.

"Alright gentlemen, lets get down to business. We are all here to get the latest project between Devlin Incorporated and Kaiba Corporation finished and out on the market. And I'm here today to tell you that the project is now as of last week finished. My teams here have been working for the last five weeks one designing, with my help, and manufacturing the prototypes. After two and a half weeks of testing, we here at Kaiba Corp are pleased to announce to you today that the testing was a success and we are ready to start producing, advertising, and selling the Polaris Portable Virtual Dueling System or the PPVD for short."

The representatives around the table stared open mouthed at the female CEO. Never before had a project of this magnitude been completed and ready to sell in such a short amount of time.

"Um…Mrs. Kaiba do you have something we can see to make sure that the systems do in fact work. We haven't seen anything since the C.G.'s you showed us a month ago?" one of the men asked somewhat timidly.

"Of course, Mr. Seiko; Zuko please go down to Lab 5 and tell the lab technicians in to hook up the video feed to C-6 and commence Test #18," Hailey answered. One of the men on the left side of the table got up and exited the room. A few minutes later the windows were covered by the automatic blinds and a screen revealed itself on the blinds behind Hailey.

The same young man that had left, Zuko, appeared on the screen due to the video feed. "Gentlemen, Mrs. Kaiba if you all would turn this way, we'll begin the test."

Everyone turned to face the screen and watched as two duelist walked out into the set arena field. Both had the latest Kaiba Corp duel disk strapped to their arms and one carried a small silver box in his hand. The one with the box walked to the middle of the arena and pressed the circle in the middle of the top of the box. Immediately the entire field changed and a screen appeared in front of the young man who had brought the silver box out. He selected a few things and the screen disappeared and in its place, the whole field changed to a mountainous terrain. This was obviously the field that most suited the duelist deck.

"Let's duel!"

And so the two duelists stood on opposite ends of the arena. The reps were watching with undivided attention from the confines of the conference room. They could all see the two duelist shiver at the feel the cold mountain air, and the white snow under their feet.

One rep looked around to where Hailey sat. "Why is the room like that?"

"The machine has been set so that whatever field the challenger picks that suits their cards. Fortunately, the damage is only done mentally, so the pain won't be real. The opponent can also change the field by using a field change card." Hailey explained quickly.

"What are the names of the two duelists?"

"The one who set the PPVD down is Koji and the opponent's name is Takuya." (**A/N: Hehehe, Digimon reference, so if you know what these two look like that's who is dueling. And now we're going to hope on down and look at this from the duelist point of views, then after the duel, we'll jump back up to the board meeting.**)

And so the duel started. Koji went first, and placed 2 magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster card face down.

"I'll end my turn." he said.

So Takuya set down 2 magic/trap cards face-down, and summoned a monster in face-up attack mode.

"I summon the Spear Dragon, in attack mode!"

"You don't really expect me to be afraid of that thing, do you?"

"Not really, but you should' know that Spear dragon has 1900 attack, and can still give damage to your face-down card. Now, Spear Dragon! Attack that face down monster!"

And so it did, and because of the realistic feeling that the room is supposed to give, he actually felt like he was stabbed with a spear. His life point calculator lowered by 1500, since the face-down monster card was Sangan (1000/600) and that the simulated room gave all Dragon types a 200 attack and defense increase. He clutched his stomach, feeling the artificial pain as if it were real. Still, he laughed as he saw the Spear Dragon (1900/0) quickly switch to defense mode.

"Aw. Did you forget that Spear Dragon automatically switches to defense mode after attacking? Too bad. Also, because Sangan was sent to the graveyard, I get to choose any monster with an attack of 1500 or less." So he searched his deck, found a Sonic Bird (1400/1000), and put it in his hand.

Takuya didn't say a word. He knew that it was only the beginning of the duel, and he was already down to 6500 life points, while he was still at a fresh 8000. "I will now end my turn."

So Koji drew a card, which happened to be a Relinquished (0/0). He decided to wait until the right moment before playing it, though. Instead, he activated Pot of Greed, and was allowed to draw 2 cards at no cost. He grinned wickedly at her 2 new cards, which were Toon Index and Sonic Bird (1400/1000).

"I'll summon the Sonic Bird, in attack-mode! And because I successfully summoned him, I can use his effect, which allows me to search my deck for a ritual magic card." So he searched his deck, and removed Black Illusion Ritual, the ritual magic card needed to summon Relinquished. Then he shuffled his deck. "Sonic Bird, attack that Spear Dragon!"

It did so, and Spear Dragon was destroyed. Fortunately, since Sonic Bird has no trample effect, Takuya didn't receive any damage, and therefore not feeling the effects of the simulation.

"I will end my turn."

Takuya drew his card, which happened to be a Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000). Since he had a Goddess with the Third Eye (1200/1000) as a fusion substitute, all he needed to do was wait for another Red Eyes, along with a Polymerization, and then he can summon the Red Eyes Ultimate Dragon (**A/N: I made that up**) (4500/3800), guaranteeing the victory.

"I summon the Cave Dragon (2000/100), in attack mode!"

Koji laughed at this, fully knowing that unless there is another dragon type on his side of the field, it couldn't attack. However, he stopped laughing as Takuya activated a Pot of Greed. Takuya noticed this, and grinned.

"Surely you didn't think that I was foolish enough to make a move like this without support, now did you?" He then drew 2 cards, which were a Change of Heart and a Seven Tools of the Bandit. "I'll set this card face-down, and I'll activate Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of one of your monsters!"

Seeing this move pretty much pissed him off, since the monster he was going to use as tribute to summon Relinquished was now taken from him.

"But that's not all." He continued. "I'll activate Ultimate Offering, allowing me to summon monsters anytime I wish at the cost of 500 life points per monster. And I'll use your Sonic Bird and my Cave Dragon as Tribute to summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

Koji slightly growled at the fact that he was going to have to waste his Waboku in order to protect his life points.

"Red Eyes! Attack with your blazing inferno (**A/N: I know that isn't the real attack, but I've just forgotten what it really is so I made this one up. Don't get mad**)!"

Just as it attacked, Koji quickly flipped his Waboku, negating the attack of not only the Red Eyes, but any other plans of attacking for that turn. Frustrated, Takuya ended his turn, leaving the score with Takuya at 7500, and Koji at 6500.

Koji drew another card, which was a Mask of Darkness (900/400). He set it, and then ended his turn.

Takuya drew a card, which was a Magic Cylinder. He normally didn't like having it in his deck, since it didn't fit his usual style of dueling, but over time, he swallowed his pride in order to gain an extra advantage against him. He set it face-down, and had Red Eyes attack the face-down card, which quickly revealed the Mask of Darkness.

"Looks like I get to bring a trap card back from the graveyard." Koji said as he searched his graveyard, and brought back Waboku.

"I will end my turn." Takuya knew it was a Waboku under there, but there was nothing he could do about it for the time being.

Koji drew a card, which was a Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200). "I summon Witch of the Black Forest, in attack mode!" He scanned his face for any worry, which there wasn't any. "What? Don't you realize what's about to happen?"

"Just get it over with already!" Takuya snapped.

"Suit yourself. I activate the Black Illusion Ritual! I will use Witch of the Black Forest as tribute, and special summon Relinquished!"

Takuya's face became sour. He hated having to lose his Red Eyes, knowing full well that Relinquished can absorb any monster it wants.

"But that's not all." He said in a singsong voice, being sure to mock his every phrase. "Because Witch went to the graveyard, I get to bring out a monster with a defense of 1500 or less. Much better than Sangan." So he searched his deck, brought out Toon Mermaid (1400/1500), and put it in his hand. "Time to make you hurt badly! Relinquished, absorb his Red Eyes!"

And so it did, and Relinquished now acquired the stats of 3000/2500. Koji grinned wickedly, deciding to put some more pain against him.

"I have a surprise for you, Takuya deary."

"Don't call me that!"

"Just in case you happen to stall against me for a turn, I'm going to add some extra insurance." He laughed a bit more, almost sounding like his slightly more feminine brother. "I activate Toon World!"

Takuya gasped at the sight of the field now having a cartoony surrounding, which the mountains now looking like vanilla ice cream cones with cherries on top, and white flowers with smiley faces on them appearing out of nowhere. Above them, was a simulation of the Toon World book.

"These looks weren't the only thing I inherited from my brother." He said. "He also made a special Toon deck, just for me. We even tested it out together, although I still couldn't beat him, I was able to beat every other opponent I came across! All for just a measly 1000 life points for a simple activation of Toon World!"

Takuya quickly shook off the shock. "You have a big mouth, just like him! Make your move already!"

"If you insist." Then he activated Toon Index. "In case you didn't know, Toon index allows me to search my deck for any card with the word Toon' in it." So he searched his deck until he found a Toon Summoned Skull (2500/1200). He shuffled the deck, and faced the field again. "Now, as you know, Toons are considered special summons, so I can bring out as many as I want, so get ready! I summon the Toon Mermaid, and I'll use her as tribute to summon the Toon Summoned Skull! But wait, there's more! I'll also summon the Toon Gemini Elf! (1900/900)."

He looked at the horror in Takuya's face. He was enjoying every second of it.

"Overkill is something one might think, but the stakes are high, so I must. Unfortunately, Toons cannot attack the same turn that they are summoned, and cost 500 life points per Toon to attack. Sure, all is not perfect, but by the way things are looking, there isn't much need. Now, Relinquished, attack his life points directly!"

Relinquished attacked, but Takuya's look of worry quickly turned into a look of triumph as he quickly flipped Magic Cylinder, negating the attack and redirecting it back at Koji for direct damage. The simulation of the blazing inferno attack was so great, that it literally sent him flying against the wall. He had lost 3000 life points in direct damage.

He slowly rose to his feet, and walked back to his former position, staggering as he did so. He could still feel the heat of the attack all over His body.

"That…… will end…… my turn." The score was now Takuya with 7500, and Koji with 2500.

Takuya hesitantly drew his next card, hoping for the heart of the cards' to take effect. Fortunately, it did, as his next card was a Magician of Faith (300/400). He set it down, and ended his turn.

Koji drew a card, which was a Poison of the old man, a magic card that allowed him to either gain 1200 life points, or deduct 800 from the opponent. He chose the former, thus giving him a life point boost.

"Relinquished, attack the face down card!"

And so it did, revealing the Magician of Faith. Takuya used its magic retrieving effect by bringing Pot of greed from the graveyard, and to his hand.

"Well-well-well." He said, grinning at what just happened. "You actually saved yourself from getting destroyed this turn." Then he shrugged. "Oh well. I'll pay 1000 life points to have both my Toons attack. Toon Gemini! Toon Summoned Skull! Attack!"

It was Takuya's turn to feel the pain, as both Toons attacked his life points directly, sending him' flying. Fortunately, he caught himself before he hit the wall. However, doing so made him feel more pain, due to not being fully shot back by the blast. Limping, he walked back to his former position.

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" he asked, not expecting an answer, of course. "That will end my turn."

The score was now Takuya with 3100, and Koji with 2700.

Takuya drew a card, which was Graceful Charity. Grinning, he activated Pot of greed, and drew 2 cards, one being another Blue Eyes, and one being Raigeki. He then activated Graceful Charity, and drew 3 cards, which were Dragons rage, Monster Reborn, and Flute of Summoning Dragon. He then discarded Flute and Dragons rage. After doing this, he smirked at Koji.

"You thought you had me, didn't you?"

"I still do, as a matter of fact."

"Then you won't mind what I'm about to do, then."

"Go right ahead." He said while yawning.

"Okay. I activate, Raigeki!"

Koji watched in shock as his Relinquished, Toon Summoned Skull, and Toon Gemini Elf were instantly destroyed, and sent to the graveyard.

"Now prepare to lose some more life Points. I summon the Goddess with the Third Eye! Goddess, attack her directly!"

So it attacked, but the attack was quickly negated by the Waboku that was quickly flipped.

'_Good!'_ Takuya thought. _'Now that Waboku is no longer blocking my attack, all that awaits is the Red Eyes Ultimate Dragon!'_ Then he spoke aloud. "I see. In that case, I will end my turn."

Koji drew a card, which was a Graceful Charity, which he quickly activated, and drew another Waboku, another Toon Blue Eyes, and a Toon Mermaid. He discarded the Toon Blue Eyes and the Toon Mermaid

"I will set this face down card, and then end my turn." Since Waboku was just set, he didn't have to worry about being attacked directly, and could probably draw either a Toon or a Toon index, or at least a monster that's stronger than 1200 attack.

Takuya drew a card, which was Polymerization. He laughed maniacally.

"The duel is over for you!"

"Oh really." He said in a bored tone. "What could you possibly have that can get you so excited?"

"You'll see. I activate Monster Reborn, and I bring back the Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

He raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's what has you so happy?"

"No, that's not what has me so happy!" he retorted, mocking his tone. "I will also activate Polymerization, use Third Eye Goddess, my Red Eyes on the field, and the Red Eyes in my hand to special summon the Red Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

So a large wavy vortex looking thing sucked in the two Red Eyes and the Third Eye Goddess. The forms merged, and when the vortex vanished, the Red Eyes Ultimate Dragon faced him. Koji backed away in fear.

"But h-how!"

"I'll tell you." Takuya said. "Goddess of the third Eye can be used as a fusion substitute, therefore making it easier to summon my Red Eyes Ultimate. Also, since we're going by standard rules, I don't have to wait a turn before attacking with a fusion monster. Now, any last words?"

He just glared at him.

"No? Fine, then. It's time to end this. Red Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack! Finish off this idiotic guy!"

So it attacked. However, Koji quickly flipped his Waboku.

"Too bad, Takuya deary!" (**A/N: Oh and if you were just wondering, Koji is not gay, even though this is the second tome for him the call Takuya 'deary'**)

"I'm way ahead of you." He said. "I counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit! Negate Waboku's effect!"

Takuya was able to afford the 1000 life point cost, and Waboku was negated and destroyed, allowing the Red Eyes Ultimate Dragons attack to successfully strike him directly.

Koji screamed in pain as the attack heated up his body, and sent him crashing through the wall, and quickly losing consciousness. Takuya had won this duel. The final score was Takuya with 2100 life points and Koji with 0 life points.

(**A/N: Now back up the board room where the meeting will continue**)

The reps turned back to the table and Hailey looked at them waiting for their reaction to what they had just seen.

"Mrs. Kaiba, we had no idea on how far your teams here at Kaiba Corp had proceeded since we last met with you. With your hard work and designs dueling has now gone a step closer into becoming more realistic." Duke said, finally speaking for the first time since the start of the meeting.

"Thank you Mr. Devlin. I'll have my assistant send your manufacturing teams the designs and calibrations for the product and both companies can start producing the PPVD's" Hailey said, writing down a note to Tsubame to give those orders out.

Hailey and her team talked for a few more minutes about the upcoming release and other trivial things like that before she called an end to a well accomplished meeting.

The representatives and Duke left, smiling and talking about the profits and other things, leaving Hailey in the board room alone as the mahogany door closed after the last person. Sighing she collected her papers and stood, looking briefly out the window before heading up to her office.

Tsubame greeted her at the door of her floor when the elevator arrived. Wordlessly Hailey handed the note she had written to Tsubame and continued on to her office.

Closing the mahogany door behind her and locking it, Hailey threw her silver briefcase on one of the couches and huffed over to her desk. She unceremoniously dumped her body into the big leather chair at her desk, sitting very un-lady-like and very un-Kaiba-like for that manner.

Sighing, Hailey flipped her computer on and waited for it to boot up. Quickly logging in, she thought she needed a little reinforcement from one of the bright spots in her life. So she opened a file that she hadn't looked at since…actually she couldn't remember the last time she had opened the file. Inside the file where close to maybe one hundred and fifty movie segments. After looking for a few minutes Hailey selected one of the clips and watched as her media player popped up and the clip started playing.

The screen was flickering slightly and then it cleared up, starting the video.

_A younger Hailey was curled up asleep in the navy sheets and comforter of the king size bed in the master bed room, and she murmured in her sleep something that sounded suspiciously like 'Seto' and a voice in the background chuckled slightly._

"_This is Hailey Azalea Kaiba, my dear and beloved wife. And a week from now is our first wedding anniversary, and by the time she sees this, we'll probably already be in Tahiti. She doesn't know it yet, but I'm taking her to Tahiti for a month as my gift to her for our anniversary." Seto said as he showed a picture of the resort where he was going to take her._

_Hailey had always wanted to go to Tahiti and Seto had remembered that. So with Mokuba and the rest of her families help, Seto had planned the perfect anniversary trip for his young wife._

"_Hailey also is turning eighteen on the day of our anniversary so I've got an extra special surprise for her when that comes."_

The Hailey who was watching the clip looked down at the date on the bottom of the screen. It read "December 16, 2004"; exactly a year before Seto was murdered. It was true that they had gotten married on her birthday. It had made her the happiest girl alive. Seto had given her the best birthday present ever. Slowly the tears began to form and slide down her face. If only they had known how short their time together was going to be.

_Suddenly the camera was turned around the Seto's smiling face showed on the screen. "Love, if you see this, know that I love you with all of my heart, soul, mid, and body. I am forever yours."_

Then the tape shut off and a blue screen lit up her computer. Tears streamed down her face slowly as she found and clicked on another video labeled "HAILEY WATCH ASAP, she didn't remember ever watching before despite the title.

_"Hailey... honey, if you're watching this, then... well..." Seto started, biting his lip and looking up at the camera, as if he were staring at Hailey in reality. "Then that means I've died, Hailey." Seto chuckled wryly, shaking his head as he did so. "And if I haven't kicked the bucket yet, then please, just delete this file and forget about it. I mean that, Hailey. But, I've been getting these weird feelings that I soon might be taken away from you my love and I need to tell you a few things."_

Hailey sucked in a breath and leaned forward towards the screen slightly, very slowly. She almost touched the screen, but she hardly cared; her eyes were riveted on the computer screen, and some of the last she'd ever see of her husband.

_"You know that I've always told you and what you've always known, no matter what, Hailey, to be honest with yourself, and to do the right thing. For so many months, I told you to think about a more stable career, to leave behind your love of dancing and singing."_

_"The truth is, Hailey," Seto continued, "I was afraid. There's always a chance that everything that I have might one day be gone and I didn't want you to have nothing to support yourself. I want you to have a good life, Hailey."_

_"I realize now that, in the process, I might have been hurting you. We both know that it's your dream to dance, and that no matter how tough it might be to achieve and how it might not support you well enough, it's still your dream. It's what you want to do-- and that's being honest with yourself," Seto smiled slightly, bowing his head_

_"I want you to know that you can do it. You can become a dancer-- the best in the world. I've always believed in you, Hailey, the same way you believe in all of your friends. I may never have been good at saying it or saying it enough, given the sort of things I had on my minds…to be concerned about, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you, and I'll support you always, no matter what."_

Hailey crumpled back into the chair now, holding her hands up to her face to try and halt the tears quickly falling down her cheeks. It wasn't enough that she'd cried upon realizing that she may never know who killed her love, but now...

To find out that all along, he'd supported her dreams, and that she was the one who'd gotten angry because he had been distancing himself from her, without giving him a chance to explain? She'd let her emotions rule her those days, and now...

There was no going back.

_"Hailey, I've worked with a lot of very powerful and nasty men-- who would do anything now to see Kaiba Corp fall and too see me go down with it as well. I've also found out that someone might be plotting to hurt me or the company in some way and I wanted to keep you out of things so you wouldn't be hurt. I didn't want you dragged into something because you were my wife, so I distanced myself from you sometimes even though it hurt both of us in some way. Now I'm wishing I hadn't."_

_"They've blackmailed other companies into keeping quiet, Hailey, but I'm not going to stand for it. I'm putting myself at risk, and I know it, but it... it would be so worth it, to have those people in jail, where they belong. Then everyone would be freer and everything would go back to normal form them and for us, and we could have the extra money for your dreams if needed."_

_"Hailey, there's an account, in your name, at the Domino First National Bank," Seto stated solemnly, clutching a small piece of paper in his hand. Hailey squinted at it between her tears, realizing that it was the same note she'd found on her vanity all those years ago. The one from Seto that read only: 'Chase your dreams.' He must have put it there after she had gone to sleep on the night he was killed, leaving it for her to find later._

_"I've saved up for your dance fund ever since we started dating, after finding out that you like to dance of course after our first date and knowing that you were the one I was going to marry."_

_"I've converted most of the money to American dollars, so you can easily use it in New York, Hailey if you decide to go to Juilliard. The rest of the money comes in property holdings I obtained over the years, or land that was passed down to me from family or business partners. Make use of it, Hailey. You can do more than just chase your dreams with that money-- you can **live** them. If I have passed on Hailey, then this is our last request to you. Please, honey-- be happy and know that I'll love you always." Seto glanced at something off the screen before moving forward and shutting off the camera, leaving the camera in a state of static._

Hailey finally allowed her eyes to close as she dropped her face into her palms, her body racked with silent sobs.

For as long as she could remember, Hailey had wanted to become a dancer and Seto had told her that even though she was good she needed to think of doing something else with her life just in case she needed something to fall back upon one day.

Slowly she began to regain her composure and pulled open on the drawers on the side of her desk open. Reaching down she pulled out a box and opened it, removing its contents.

Writing a small note out for Tsubame, Hailey grabbed a few needed papers and packed them into her briefcase and pulled out her car keys. Quickly she stormed out of her office.

"Tsubame, I need you to take messages for any calls I might get and move all my appointments I had for the rest of the day to other available days. I'm leaving. Also call my brother-in-law and tell him that I'll see him at home." Hailey barked as she handed the girl the note and continued to the elevator.

"Right away Mrs. Kaiba."

Hailey stormed across the parking garage and unlocked her navy Corvette convertible. Her briefcase landed in the passenger seat and she followed into the driver's seat.

Pulling out of her spot, Hailey sped out of the underground garage into the early evening sun. Her destination: the Domino First National Bank.

It took the young female CEO a grand total of seven minutes to arrive at the bank. In a hurry she slammed her car door open and then closed and locked the Corvette.

The bank doors slid open automatically and Hailey walked in, her stride long and angry. A teller looked up and swallowed at the sight of the angry young woman.

"C-Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Yes, you can," Hailey responded promptly. "I have an account here in my name, and I'd like to know what the contents of it are."

Clearly surprised by this everyday request, the timid young man blinked in surprise before replying. "F-Follow me."

He walked them over to his desk, taking a paper from one of the other workers that apparently had some specific information on it. He typed rapidly on his computer's keyboard, practically yanking a sheet of paper as it spooled from the printer. Hailey barely sat down before the man sprung up again, this time leading her and the assistant down a long, dimly lit side hallway. Hailey's boots clicked on the marble surface, sounding frighteningly loud in the long, empty space.

Black marble seemed to stretch on for eternity, until finally; they reached a steel door without a single window on it at all. The bank manager keyed in a string of numbers on the small, glowing panel beside the door, and after a soft whoosh sounded, the door sprung open.

The bank manager waited for Hailey to step inside, and once she did, she looked around in awe. The walls were lined with hundreds --no, thousands-- of darkened silver boxes.

_'Safe deposit boxes…'_

As far up as the eye could see, stretching meters and meters into the air. How did anyone get to the ones at the top?

"I'm af-afraid that the bank does not keep personal PIN numbers on record, Mrs. Kaiba," the bank manager began in a whisper. "We have the key cards and the standard lock used for the boxes, as a backup, but the PIN is known only by the customer..."

Of the slightly different expression on Hailey's face, it became clear to both men that Hailey had no idea what the PIN was.

"How many tries do I have?" Hailey asked in a hoarse voice. The girl had waited long enough for answers. There was no reason to let some silly little obstruction get in their way now...

"O-Only t-three, Ma-ma'am. After that, the mechanisms in the box cause the contents to self-destruct."

No wonder why Domino First National was the most reputable, high security bank in the entire prefecture.

Hailey steeled herself, taking in a deep breath. "Show me the box."

The wiry man moved along the walls, tracing his finger along the ridged boxes as he searched for the number indicated on the paper. 910, 911...

There.

With spade-shaped, trembling fingers, the man slipped the paper into his side pocket, reaching up to box number 928. He slid a brilliant white key card along a slot, prompting the clamps in the rear of the wall to unlock the individual box. It popped out slightly, allowing the man to slide it from its casing and out. He walked with frighteningly slow steps toward Hailey, finally placing the heavy box into her hands.

Once assured that she could handle the strange weight, the man pressed a key into the top, pulling back a sliding lid. A nine-digit key panel gleamed at Hailey from the box-- the only layer left separating Hailey from the last relic --the last piece of her husband.

The bank manager moved forward to help Hailey hold the box while she tried to think of numbers her husband might have used in the creation of a bank account in her name. None of it made any sense...

It might have been a bit too obvious, but...

Seto's birthday. The day and the last two digits of the year...

A bright red light to the side of the panel blinked on, the lock beeping angrily. It was not the right answer.

Hailey swallowed, a decidedly acidic taste filling her mouth. No…well, maybe then Mokuba's birthday. Inputting the numbers in the same format, her fingers shaking wildly, Hailey could only guess at the contents of the security box, and why her parents had chosen to go to the extra effort to conceal it.

The red light blinked on again, the shrill noise echoing loudly.

Only one more try.

Her mouth went dry, her lips feeling horribly chapped. She couldn't mess this up...

It was just like a riddle, only harder than any of the previous ones. Only one clue-- it was a four digit number. Not her husband's birthday or her brother-in-laws birthday. So maybe...

"1-2-2-3..." Hailey whispered. It was a long shot. But maybe her **own** birthday would be the number she needed.

Her fingers felt like weights, pressing down into the keys. The mechanism registered her entry and…beeped. A bright green light flickered on, and a soft clicking sound indicated that the box was now unlocked. All that remained was for Hailey to open it.

"Ahem," the bank manager coughed none-too-discretely, indicating that he and his assistant should give Hailey some privacy while she examined the contents of the box.

The young man cast a hesitant glance back at Hailey before following the bank manager out of the safe deposit room, leaving Hailey alone in the marble space that echoed the tiniest sounds endlessly.

"Holy shit."

The box spilled from Hailey's hands, the metal crashing against the floor, and echoing loudly. The assistant and the bank manager rushed in to find out what happened-- they were shocked to find Hailey, wide-eyed and red-cheeked, surrounded by thousands of dollars in American money.

He'd left her an even bigger fortune than what she already had

"What's this?" the assistant murmured, his eyes catching on a slip of white amongst the green dollar bills.

"What?" Hailey mumbled, snapping from her reverie. Still, everything seemed clouded by an impossible haze...

"'Chase your dreams,'" he read off a small slip of white paper that he'd found. "Does the handwriting look familiar?" He showed the paper to Hailey, noting her already wide eyes increasing to the size of saucers. She recognized it all right...

"I-It's my husband's."

Hailey snatched the slip of paper from the young man and shoved it into her pocket with the other slip of paper that had the same phrase on it. "Could you have this ready to leave in no less than five minutes? I'd like to take it with me."

"Of course Mrs. Kaiba."

Hailey left the bank five minutes later carrying six briefcases full of money out to her Corvette. Loading the money into the back of her car, she left the bank parking lot in a blaze of speed and headed back to the Kaiba mansion.

"MOKUBA!" Hailey cried as she threw the front doors of the mansion. Mokuba ran out from his study, a worried expression on his face.

"What is it Hale? What's wrong?" Mokuba asked, walking quickly to his flustered sister-in-law.

Hailey merely handed him one of the briefcases from the bank. He kneeled down on the floor and popped the case open, gasping at the site of the money.

"Where did this come from?"

"Your brother. He was worried that something might happen and we might not have any of our money, so he set up an account in my name. The other five cases are filled with as much money. He wanted to make sure that I became a dancer, that I followed my dreams."

"Do you know how much there is?"

"Nearly 33,216,000,000¥ or $300,000,000 in the American dollar," she answered almost in a monotone.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Save it for now, I'll think of something sooner or later."

Mokuba was about ready to walk back to his office, when Hailey reached out and grabbed his shoulder gently.

"Did you know about this or the movie he left me?" Hailey asked, quietly.

"I knew that he had been saving money for you and that he had filmed something for you in private, but I didn't know any details. He told me not to tell you when I asked him about it." Mokuba replied, lowering his head slightly.

"Oh, right," Hailey said slowly. "I'm going to work up in my other study upstairs if you need me."

Before Mokuba could answer Hailey scooped the cases up, along with her own briefcase and hurried up the marble stairs. A few minutes later, Mokuba heard a door slam close.

"Good going big brother, you've made her mad again."

**Okay folks, I think I'll end chapter five now. This is actually the second part of chapter four, but I cut it in half somewhat. I thought it would be better to have a few short chapters here and there, since almost all of my chapters are what, thirty/forty some pages long. I know I stuffed a lot of things into these last two installments of the story, but I'm going to tie the whole Seto wanting Hailey to "chase her dreams" into the epilogue of the story, (which I am writing before I finish this story) _The Black Rose_. Hopefully within the next few chapters I'll reach the climax of the story, which will be freakin' awesome. I've already written that to. And I'm sorry for all of you who like Joey. These weren't your chapters where they. Please don't get to mad at me. Oh and how did you like the titles "Go to Pound, Mutt…" and "… And Collect Two Hundred Mrs. Kaiba." Didn't they tie in nicely with the chapters? I think they did. Alright, I think I'm through here so there you go. Please read and review! Thanks a bunch.**

**Mazakai**

**By the way, I'm open to all idea's you readers might have on what you'd like to see in the next chapters of _The White Rose_, so feel free to tell me about any you get. If you'd like something to be changed from previous chapters, I'd like to hear those ideas as well so I know what to change if I need too. BYE!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Planning

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 6: The Planning**

A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

**By: **Mazakai

**Started:** August 21, 2006

**Completed: **January 6, 2007

**Posted:**

**Disclaimer:** First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba!!!!!! This is for fun not for profit. Oh, and I do not own the rights to the movie _Moulin Rouge_, so whatever is used from that movie is not mine.

**Warning: **This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death.

Recap from chapter five: 

The trial that changed so many lives has been reopened on the fact of newly acquired evidence. Joey Wheeler has filed an appeal for the murder of Seto Kaiba; and through his lawyer, Yugi Mouto no less. Hailey, along with her attorney and long time friend, Misao Makimachi, face this challenge head on, determined to see Joey, or the 'Mutt', behind bars once more. After a grueling trial and a few choice insults from both parties, Hailey and Misao succeed in their endeavor, though not in the count that Joey killed Seto. They had him convicted for other crimes that hadn't gotten to the courts because of the supposed murder case; landing Joey another long sentence only after he found out that he and Mai had a baby five years ago on the night of Seto's murder. Joey has little time to celebrate this joy, because five minutes later he's being courted of the jail once more. Yugi tries to convince Hailey that she needs to give up Seto's life and go back to her old self, but Hailey just won't see the truth in his words. Secretly rejoicing for her victory, Hailey walks out of the court room leaving her old friends behind, hopefully once and for all. Back at Kaiba Corp Hailey shows off the newly completed Polaris Portable Virtual Dueling System or the PPVD for short to the rest of the companies who are involved with the project. With a successful test run, everything is set in motion for the unveiling. After the meeting Hailey returns to her office and finds two strange video clips on her computer, only to find that they were from Seto from about five years ago. In the second one Seto told her of the bank account he had made in her name since they had started dating. Composing herself, Hailey raced to the bank and found the safe deposit box filled with nearly 33,216,000,000¥ or $300,000,000 dollars. Taking the money with her, Hailey confronts Mokuba, who tells Hailey that he knew Seto had an account made for her in her name and about the clip telling her about the money. We left the Kaiba's as Hailey marched up to her office slamming her door behind her and Mokuba scolding his dead brother because he made Hailey mad again. And now on with **_The White Rose_**.

A man sat behind a large desk in the dark. His eyes glinted dangerously. A door opened and light outlined the door frame and the man that stood in the door.

"Master, all the preparations have been set. We are ready to act when you are." The man said gruffly.

"Perfect, we'll begin the night of the anniversary ball. I want everyone at the ball. We must blend in, so get everyone attire that is appropriate for such an event." The man at the desk replied coolly. He turned his head and his gold eye glinted in the light. "Oh, and Rafael, make sure that the young mister Kaiba goes alone to the grave the next morning, I want no distractions or set backs this time."

"Of course master."

The man left the door way and the door slammed shut.

"This time the Kaiba's will fall."

An evil, malicious laughter filled the room.

It was that time of the year again. The one day other than December 16th that Hailey Kaiba hated the most; the Kaiba Corp. Annual Anniversary Ball. This year was the 55th anniversary and Hailey was stuck on planning the stupid thing. Well, most of it anyway. The PR team had a part in the planning as well, but Hailey had the most say in the manner. Though every year she could never manage to cancel the stupid event. And to make thing five times better, the ball was being held on the 15th of December. Great.

The ball was a week away and Hailey had yet to finish her speech. Mokuba had turned his in to her about three weeks ago; which made her feel so much better, not. He actually turned it in the day after she had found the small fortune Seto had left for her.

'_I mean, it's not like I have to write the Gettysburg Address or anything, just the year's accomplishments and goals for the next year and junk like that, right. I mean I've done four other speeches exactly like this in the past, why can't I write this one._' Hailey thought as she thrummed her fingers against her temple. This should have been a piece of cake. She was Hailey Kaiba for goodness sakes. She could program a super computer in her sleep! But here she was, stuck wondering how to write one damn speech.

"There's got to be something wrong with me," she said aloud, pushing away from her desk and walking around it to her window. She looked out across the back lawn of the mansion. Multitudes of winter flowers were starting to bloom. Her cherry tree grove was barren at the moment though. But come spring a good portion of the back of the mansion would be covered in a sea of pink petals and the smell of Japanese Cherry Blossoms.

It was partially because of the view that she favored to use her second story office during the spring. The one downstairs was nice and all, but everything looked prettier from her sort of aerial view point. Sighing, Hailey turned away from the window and walked towards the two heavy mahogany doors of her office. She tugged one of them open and walked through before closing it behind her.

Walking towards the steps, Hailey heard Mokuba's angry voice coming from his office on the first floor. From the sounds of things, someone had made her brother-in-law very angry. '_Probably some incompetent fool who thought he knew better than what Mokuba told him to do and then screwed things up,_' Hailey thought as she glided down the stairs and walked towards the direction of Mokuba's voice.

Suddenly his voice stopped shouting. A brief pause of silence followed and then a loud 'damnit' came from inside his office; followed by his office doors being flung open. Mokuba stormed out of his office, wrenching his tie from around his neck. He met Hailey halfway across the entrance hall.

"What was that all about?" Hailey asked, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Mokuba closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself down and then open them again. "Some of the members on my Duel Disk IV team fucked up the sequences in the program. Now I have to go in on a weekend night and fix the damn thing because I'm the only one who fuckin' knows how!" by the end of his little rant, he was yelling again.

Hailey merely had a semi-amused look on her face. Oh the woes of working with people who had half the IQ you had yourself. It was merely another day as a Kaiba.

"Do you think you'll need any help? I could go in with you. I know the data and formulas as well as you do. It would make the work go faster." Hailey suggested after Mokuba had calmed down slightly. "Besides, I think if I see one more plan about that stupid ball tonight, I might just burn all the paper work I have so far. Then we might not have the stupid thing."

"Hailey, the doctor and the physiatrist said that you shouldn't work long hours," Mokuba said, suddenly changing his tone from anger to concern.

"Mokuba, this won't be working long hours. I worked at home today, which means that I hardly did any real work, so helping you would be like me doing my time regularly in the office." Hailey countered, a smirk forming on her face.

"I can see there's nothing that I could say that would change your mind. And if you really did hardly work today at home, I guess I can work with that. Though if I see you start to yawn, you're done. I'll take you home straight away, got that." Mokuba replied, scolding her slightly at the end.

"Yes, father." Hailey said sarcastically. "Let me go some stuff from my office and then we can go."

Hailey and Mokuba arrived at Kaiba Corp about a half-hour later. The sky was getting darker by the second and shadows were forming around the huge building in front of them, masking the form of a man as he watched the two Kaiba's walk into the building.

Quickly the form turned away and got on to the waiting motorcycle that he had parked on the sidewalk a few minutes ago. This was the second time he had left the Kaiba matriarch a letter from his master. He kicked the cycle to life and sped off into the impending night.

The Kaiba Corp labs resided in the basements of the large building. Or at least the ones that Hailey and Mokuba were working at were at the bottom of the building. Men and women in white coats hurried around, trying their hardest to fix the broken sequences before the two heads arrived. No such luck.

Hailey and Mokuba marched into the lab, white coats on in place of their trench coats and hard piercing looks in their eyes.

"Who screwed the program up?" Mokuba asked aloud, making everyone stop in their tracks at the sound of his cold angry voice.

A scrawny young man with cropped black hair walked up slowly from the crowd of technicians. He looked up at the tall raven haired man through his large glasses and gulped visibly.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Kaiba, sir. I don't know what went wrong. One moment everything's running fine, then the next the machine starts beeping wildly and the system crashed." The man said quietly, his face turning almost white by the end of his statement.

Mokuba merely scoffed and walked over to where the machine in question was. Hailey followed behind him, not even glancing at the young techie as she walked by.

Mokuba sat down at the terminal and began typing away at the keyboard. Hailey sat next to him at the next terminal and began typing as well. Everyone else in the lab watched as the two Kaiba's got to fixing the problem.

Something blipped on Hailey's screen and she got up and walked over to another machine and bent down on her knees in front of the machine. She pulled a screw driver from inside her coat pocket, and opened the side panel. Then, before anyone could stop her, she began taking different pieces out of the machine, until she got to what ever she was looking for. Grabbing a handful of tools from the tray above her, Hailey picked out a few choice tools and began fixing what ever she had found to be broken in that machine. Twenty minutes later, she was putting everything back into the machine and closing the side panel. Someone hurried over with a rag so she could wipe the grease she had gotten on her hands off. Then she was back at her computer, typing away.

Mokuba was still typing away, fixing glitches in the program only he could fix. Then his computer blipped and he went through the same process Hailey had just done on another machine at the other end of the lab. He fixed the problem manually and was back at his computer within a half hour.

Both of the Kaiba's secretaries came down to the lab after about an hour and a half with steaming cups of coffee for the executives. Hailey welcomed the strong brew of coffee, and placed it beside her on a tray (**A/N: Like the trays they have at the dentist office to set their equipment on**). Mokuba just drank his in a few gulps and went back to work.

Everyone else who worked in the lab the Kaiba's were working in got moved to other labs around the building upon the Kaiba's orders. They could get more done on their own than they could with people trying to help them.

It was nearing the second hour of work for the two Kaiba's when Hailey's secretary, Tsubame, walked into the lab with a note in her hands.

"Mrs. Kaiba, you know the man you asked me about a few weeks ago, the one who left you that note the night of your car accident, he came back again today and left you another note. I asked him to leave his name this time since you asked about him when you got back." She said, handing Hailey the note she had brought down with her from the 67th executive office.

"Thank you Tsubame." Hailey answered, taking the note from the girl and putting it in her pants pocket.

"I wrote his name on the outside of the note. Though he only left his first name; which I know won't do that much good, but I think we might have gotten him on the security cameras. I can see if I can get those tapes if you'd like them." Tsubame offered before she left the lab to go back to her desk.

"Do you think that it's possible that we did get him on the cameras? If you think that they got him, have them on my desk, wait scratch that part. Have them in my briefcase before I leave tonight. And see if they still have the tapes from the night he came the first time. Tell the people in security that if they don't let you watch them as they look for it to make sure that they did in fact try to find the tapes from that night, that they'll all need to look for new jobs in the morning." Hailey said, almost showing some of the excitement in hearing that she might have an idea on who had left her that odd note. Then she realized where she was and masked that excitement with her regular cold and callous exterior.

"Right, away Mrs. Kaiba. If you need anything else, call up to the office." Tsubame answered, and then she turned around and left the lab.

"Hale, why'd you get so excited about hearing about that note?" Mokuba asked, knowing that Hailey had just got very excited about something, knowing his sister-in-law and the way she acted.

"Nothing, it's just something that I've been looking into for awhile; nothing all that special." Hailey said, covering herself before she really told Mokuba why she was so interested in whoever sent her the latest note.

After this little conversation, Hailey turned back to her computer and began fixing problems. It seemed that after she fixed one thing, six other things would go wrong.

"Mokuba, has your computer been acting weird? Every time I fix something, about six other things break down." Hailey asked, as she typed away at her terminal.

"I've had a few things like that. Nothing really wants to work. I'm almost thinking that we should just let the tech's come in and do all this. We've got the main part fixed up. They should be able to correct little things like this." He replied, pushing his seat back and standing up.

Hailey followed suit and stood, stretching her arms above her head. "Call the other labs and tell them that everyone who was sent from lab five needs to get back here and start working again."

"Okay, I'll meet you out front in five." Mokuba said, walking over to the com system on the left side of the room.

Hailey exited the lab and road the elevator up to her floor. Tsubame greeted her and held out Hailey's briefcase.

"I got all the things you asked for, Mrs. Kaiba."

"Thank you Tsubame. I'll see you tomorrow." Hailey replied turning around and reentering the elevator.

When Hailey ad Mokuba got home it was well around three in the morning. They said goodnight to each other at the top of the stairs and went their separate ways to their own rooms.

Hailey dropped her briefcase on to her desk and slipped her coat off and threw in over the back of her vanity chair. Walking to her dresser, she pulled the band that was holding her hair up into a pony tail out and let it drop to the floor, not really caring. Hailey opened the top drawer and pulled out an old blue shirt and a pair of black lounge pants and quickly stripped out of her other clothes and pulled the others on.

Fiyero looked up from his bed and whined lightly in greeting before lying his head back down on to his paws to sleep again. Hailey bent down and ruffled the top of his head warmly. Her little wolf had grown about three times the size he had been since she had gotten him as a gift from her family.

Hailey continued to her bed, flopping down onto the silk comforter. Tiredly she rubbed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling of her room. '_I really need a break from all this junk_,' Hailey decided, twirling a strand of hair around her finger absently.

She would have never thought that running Kaiba Corp. would have been this stressful. And to think that Seto had been running the company since he was what, fourteen or something. She took control when she was nineteen and was turning twenty-four in almost two weeks and she already felt as if she was at least forty-some years old.

This was definitely not how she pictured herself in her mid-twenties. But hey, you couldn't have every thing in life, which was kind of odd coming from a Kaiba.

Hailey turned onto her side and watched Fiyero sleep on his bed. He looked so peaceful, like nothing could or would ever bother him. Hailey envied her wolf in that sense. No one was expecting him to plan some stupid ball or spend his weekends fixing some stupid problem at the office. (**A/N: I know that I just made that part really angsty for Hailey, but deal with it.**). Yep, he was pretty much set.

Not comfortable where she was, Hailey turned onto her other side, pulling the sheets over her body in the process. Her eyes drifted close slowly and she fell into one of her regular light dreamless sleeps.

**Five days later…**

Hailey awoke with the starts of a bad headache; a sure sign of a bad day. Quickly she rose from her bed and changed into her business clothes: a pair of black pants, gold cow neck sweater, and a black suit blazer, oh and her trademark pair of Hailey Kaiba boots. She was dressed for success.

Today wasn't going to fun. She was getting fitted for her ball gown, something she had put off for a few weeks. Mokuba once again was being the smart one in the deal with the ball. He had gone and gotten his tux three weeks ago, right after he had turned in his speech. Dang it, she was getting topped by her little brother-in-law!

She walked over to Fiyero and gently woke him from his sleep. He looked up at Hailey and wagged his tail happily. Hailey picked his black leather leash up from the desk and fastened it to his silver collar. Fiyero jumped to his feet and whined impatiently; he loved going to work with Hailey.

Fiyero tugged at his leash and Hailey quickly gathered her things. Both wolf and woman walked out to the stairs and trotted down the marble stairs; the wolf's claws and the woman's boots clicked on the white stone.

Roland met them at the door and held it open for his employer, then jogged down in front of them and opened the door of the limo for Hailey. Fiyero jumped into the seat first and sat on the floor and Hailey slid in after him with a curt 'thank-you' to Roland. Roland gave the signal for the chauffeur to go and the limo drove away from the Kaiba Mansion.

"I was quite surprised Mrs. Kaiba, when I got the design from you last week. I was used to doing a dark blue gown for you every year. This was a very unexpected change." Kenshin Himura, Hailey's personal designer said, looking from the sketch pad to the woman in front of him, Hailey Kaiba herself, and the black wolf she had brought with her; the wolf she said was her own, a present from her sister and twin brother and caretaker.

Every year since Hailey had taken control of Kaiba Corp. she had always come to him asking for a navy gown for her anniversary ball. Though this year she had submitted her own design and it was in a deep wine, maroon-ish colored dress with the same neck and back as the neck line of the shirt she was wearing. It had two overlapping lines of thick silver thread forming two x's on both the front and back. The dress also had two layers; the bottom one touching the ground and the second one ending at about the middle of Hailey's shins. Kenshin had inserted some crinoline in the layers, giving the dress some volume. The silky material he had also chosen had little diamonds sewn into the material all over the dress accenting the silver lines. He hoped that what he had done pleased the female CEO, because her wolf was looking pretty ferocious.

"I guess when I designed the dress I wanted a red dress. I mean I already have four navy or midnight blue dresses at home. Some color is always good for even the coldest people," Hailey stated blandly. Had she said it with a little life, Kenshin would have thought that she had just cracked a joke, but he wasn't that optimistic.

"Well, I think you'll like what I made out of your design." Kenshin said, motioning for someone to bring out the 'wine' dress as he had called it when he was making it.

A young girl with glasses came out with a black garment bag and hung it on a hook by Kenshin. Kenshin moved towards it and un zipped the bag slowly, making the unveiling of the dress more dramatic then needed.

The black covering fell to the floor revealing the stunning wine colored dress. A fitted bodice, semi-fluffy skirt; in short, a perfect copy of the dress Hailey had envisioned and designed.

At first Hailey was speechless. She merely stared at the dress, eyes blinking a few times. Regaining some of her motor functions, she began to walk around the dress, touching the material here and there.

"We had some extra material, so I took the liberty of making a shawl for you." Kenshin explained when she touched the silk shawl draped around the hanger of the dress.

Hailey nodded in agreement when she got back around to the front of the dress. "I like it Mr. Himura, thank you once again for a superb dress."

"We still need to do the final fitting, but I think I have the measurements and lengths right so you can take it home today."

"Okay." Hailey replied, taking the hanger off the hook. She walked over to the dressing room and changed into the wine dress.

Kenshin waited patiently for a few minutes as Hailey tried the dress on. The black wolf, Fiyero, Kenshin thought that was his name, looked up at Kenshin and let his tongue loll out in a wolf like grin. Kenshin swallowed uneasily and took a small step away from Fiyero. He had never really like wolves.

The curtain opened and there Hailey stood, in all her glory in possibly one of the prettiest dresses Kenshin had ever designed.

She moved from the stall and the dress swayed with her steps. The glittery wine colored fabric swished and flowed with her every step. It was almost if the fabric was made out of water.

"Oh, Mr. Himura, you've really outdone yourself this time." Hailey murmured, looking at her reflection in a floor length along one of the walls. "Since it fits so well, can I pay and take the dress home today?"

"Do you even have to ask? Hailey-san, you've been buying my dresses for almost seven years, you should know the answer to that one." Kenshin replied, smiling gently at the young female CEO.

She smirked lightly, and turned around slowly once more before departing back into the changing room. Cautiously Hailey took the dress off and placed it back on its hanger. She changed back into her street clothes and carried the dress back out to the main room.

Fiyero yipped happily upon seeing his master return and trotted back to her side. Hailey looked down at her wolf and smirked, almost to the point of smiling and looked back up at Kenshin. He held his arms out for the dress and called for one of his assistants. They took the dress and hurried off to package it for Hailey.

Hailey laid her hand on top of Fiyero's head and petted his soft fur. Kenshin pulled out a slip of paper and pushed it across the table towards Hailey.

"Here's the receipt for the dress. I just need the check for the dress." Kenshin said, indicating to the slip of paper on top of the other one.

Hailey nodded, and pulled out her check book. She flipped it open and flipped her pen in the air (like Seto did during the Waking the Dragons season when he and Mokuba bought the red sports car), catching it with a flourish and signing her name just as equally flashy. She then tore the check out and handed it to Kenshin.

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Kaiba." Kenshin said cheerily, taking the check from one of his favorite customers. The same assistant, who had taken the dress away for packing, came jogging into the room, a long black box in her hands. She gave the box to Hailey and bowed slightly at both her boss and her boss's client.

"Thank you Mr. Himura for the dress. I think I will be going now, so I'll see you later." Hailey said, nodding her head in Kenshin's direction, then turning on her heal and heading to the door. "Come, Fiyero."

The black wolf barked once and ran to Hailey, wagging his tail proudly. It was then that Kenshin realized that Fiyero was walking himself, the end of his leash in his jaws.

As the door closed behind Hailey, Kenshin let his breath out, not realizing he had been holding it. He might have to ask Hailey not to bring her wolf the next time; he was quiet scared of the black creature. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kenshin sat back down at his work table and began doing what he did best; designing some of the most exquisite gowns Japan had to offer.

Hailey and Fiyero arrived at the Kaiba Corp. building a few minutes later and Hailey marched with Fiyero at her side, holding his leash this time, up the marble steps that lead to the front doors of the building.

Everyone in the lobby backed away as the CEO and her wolf passed to the elevators. Fiyero bared his teeth and growled lightly at passer by's, scaring random people nearly to the point of fainting. It made Hailey laugh inside; Fiyero was nothing more than a sweet little puppy and he was already causing people to cower in his presence, it was down right funny to her.

The glass elevator took them up to the top floor and to Hailey's office. Tsubame greeted Hailey briefly, looking up from her work momentarily, and pressing a button on her desk, automatically opening the doors of Hailey's office for her.

Hailey unhooked Fiyero from his leash and moved towards her desk, where a stack of paper work was waiting for her to finish. Fiyero hopped up on one of the leather coaches and curled up, watching Hailey as she moved about the office. He whined softly and laid his head down on his paws, falling to sleep shortly afterward.

Hailey sat at her desk, fingertips pressed to her lips, lost in her thoughts. The ball was only a week away and Hailey still had so much work left to do. She had to patent five other projects, come up with other projects and if she felt like it, fire some people. That would make her feel better.

Smirking to herself, she pulled up a list of her employees, every single one of them, and looked through the list, marking some as she moved through the list. This was the way to relax. Make a few people's lives a living hell every now and then, fire some of them, be the tyrant everyone fears; yep this was the life of a Kaiba.

Quickly she typed up a letter on her computer and used Mail Merge to add the names of everyone she was 'letting go' in instead of doing it herself. She then forwarded everything to Tsubame and told her to send the missives to everyone on the list.

Satisfied with that, Hailey smirked lightly at nothing. She was in a good mood today, which was surprising after the night she had gone through last night. Her dress had fit perfectly and she had just possibly ruined some people's lives in a matter of seconds. It was good to be evil.

Not realizing how long it had taken to fire some of her employees, when Hailey looked at the clock she was taken aback somewhat. Two and a half hours had passed since she had arrived at Kaiba Corp. Standing up to stretcher her muscles, Hailey walked around her office, looking at priceless artifacts she had acquired over the years and some Seto had already had before he met her. Some where from her old home in Egypt, and others were gifts from her family from their different digs for such artifacts.

She came upon a statue she had gotten last Christmas. It was an ebony pyramid with a gold top stone and hieroglyphics that read, "A rose will bloom, it then will fade. So does a youth, so does the fairest maid." It was an old song the Ishtar's used to sing as children. Then on top of the pyramid, with its tail wrapped around the whole of the pyramid, was a sapphire dragon. The dragon had its claws attached to the back of the pyramid, its wings spread out to their fullest extent, and its front legs rearing out as if to attack. The beast great maw was open in a mighty roar and ivory teeth filled its mouth.

Looking at the dragon, Hailey ran her fingers over the cool sapphire. She knew Seto would have loved to have seen this statue. When Hailey got it, she considered to change the outside dragon statues to look like the present her family had given her, but decided against it.

Sighing once, Hailey walked back over to her desk and sat back down in the leather chair. Things were going slowly it seemed. Quickly she check her schedule, trying to find something to occupy herself with; sadly she found nothing. No meetings, no deadlines, no nothing.

She pushed herself out of her chair and grabbed Fiyero's leash and gently woke her black wolf. Fiyero lifted his head and yawned, stretching like a cat and jumped off the couch he had been sleeping on. Hailey fastened his leash on and walked out of her office, Fiyero at her side.

Tsubame looked up as her boss pasted her desk with her formidable wolf.

"I'm leaving for the day Tsubame, so tell Mokuba I decided to walk Fiyero home today and he can take the limo home if he wants to," Hailey said as she walked by and to the elevators.

"Yes, ma'am"

Once out of the building, Hailey took a deep breath and glanced at her dragons briefly, before walking away and towards the park.

It had been awhile since she had taken Fiyero to the park. Playfully he tugged on his leash, wanting Hailey to go faster, for he knew where they were headed. Smiling slightly at his antics, Hailey quickened her pace to fast walk. People moved out of her way along the sidewalk quickly for fear of the wolf at the end of a leash, the female walking said wolf, and the billowing trench coat she wore.

They passed small shops and coffee places on the way to the park. Hailey stopped at one of the Starbucks she saw and bought a white chocolate mocha frapachino (**A/N: I have no idea how to spell, I know**). She had to indulge sometimes.

Sipping her iced coffee, Hailey and Fiyero continued on their way to the park. Soon the gates were visible, and Fiyero barked happily at the sight. A few people jumped at his sharp bark, and Hailey smirked widely.

Soon Hailey found herself at the lake in the park. She stood on the bridge that branched across the small center section of the park. This park was fairly new. She had renovated it for the city two years ago. She had presented the designs to the governor of the city as a gift and he had accepted her proposal for the project. The park was now called 'The Seto Kaiba Memorial Park'. Hailey had picked the title herself.

A couple of geese floated in the water and Fiyero watched them excitedly, his paws up on the railing of the bridge. Hailey looked out around the park and saw children running around with each other, playing with their parents looking on from a short distance away, laughing and smiling with other parents. A young couple walked around on the trails hand n' hand, smiling adoringly at one another. Business workers out on lunch, sitting at benches with sandwiches and newspapers or laptops.

Hailey looked away and pulled gently on Fiyero's leash to keep walking. She moved towards the back of the park; her favorite part. It was slightly forested, with a scattering of tall pines whose branches didn't start until about fifteen feet in the air.

A marble statue was in a small clearing. It was a wolf and a man. The wolf stood proud and on all fours, head snapped to attention at some unknown cause. The man sat on the ground and had his head buried in the wolf's neck, deep in the smooth fur coat. Hailey had no idea why the statue called so much to her, but when she had been looking through the catalog, she always came back to this statue. So she bought it and put it up in a secluded part of the large park.

Hailey unhooked Fiyero's leash and let the wolf run around for awhile. She sat upon a stone bench and let her mind wander; something that she usually didn't do.

She thought back to a time when she and Seto, after they had started going out, had stayed at the mansion for one of their dates, and watched a movie of her choice. She had picked _Moulin Rouge_, and by the end of the movie, Hailey was crying her eyes out. Ewan McGregor's performance had touched her so much that night. And she had never thought him to be one who could sing, but boy was she wrong. Her heart melted when she heard Christian singing to Satine.

She and Seto had that very same song sung at their wedding a few years later. They had mouthed the words together as they were sung. She thought they might have even started singing, but it was hard to say.

Subconsciously, she began to sing.

_**Never knew I could feel like this  
Like I've never seen the sky before  
I want to vanish inside your kiss**_

_**Everyday I love you more than this**_

_**Listen to my heart can you hear it say**_

**_Telling me to give you everything  
Seasons may change, winter to spring  
But I Love You, until the end of time_**

Come what may  
Come what may  
I will Love You  
Until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace  
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste  
It all revolves around you

And there's no mountain too high  
No river too wide  
Sing out this song,  
I'll be there by your side

Storm clouds may gather  
And stars may collide  
But I Love You, I Love You,  
Until the end of time

Come what may, come what may, I will Love You  
The greatest thing you'll ever learn...  
I will Love You, Come what may, Yes, I will Love you  
come what may, I will Love you, till my dying day

A single tear fell down Hailey's face. She sobbed quietly, a few more tears falling to her lap. She and Seto had had some tough times during the time they had been together and apart. It was ironic now that she think about it. She and Seto had found that same exact song and sung it to each other on numerous occasions, and at the peak of their relationship, and the height of their unwavering love, Seto was taken from her, just as Sedeina had been taken from Christian in the movie.

"Come what may…come what may…I will love you till my dying day," Hailey sung still immersed in her sad memories. Quickly she wiped the tears from her eyes and checked her makeup quickly; there were no smudges or faults.

Bringing her fingers to her lips, Hailey whistled for Fiyero. She heard the answering howl and waited for her friend to come back.

She heard rustling from behind and turned to see her precious wolf running towards her quickly. His long legs stretched out, sleek black coat gleaming in the sun light, tail held aloft in joy. He skidded to a halt in front of her, his tongue lulling out of his mouth lazily.

Hailey bent and ruffled his fur affectionately and clipped the leash back on to his collar. "Come on Yero (**A/N: Yero is Fiyero's nickname that Hailey gave him**) let's head home. We'll watch a movie when we get back."

Fiyero yipped and wagged his black tail back and forth happily; nothing ever spoiled his mood.

The next day, Hailey awoke with a feeling of dread. And well she should because it was the eve of the ball. So much was yet to be done and they, meaning the PR groups, the design committee, other random groups, and of course Hailey, would be swamped all day with work.

She slowly pushed herself off her bed and stretched. Yes, it was going to be a very long day. Fiyero was curled up at the foot of her bed, sound asleep.

She reached for the remote by the side of her bed and turned the television on to the weather and news. The weatherman had just entered the screen.

"Well, it looks like it will be a very cold day in Domino today with temperatures reaching down into the low thirties and high twenties, so wear your hats and gloves today folks…"

It was then when Hailey turned the television off having seen what she wanted to. Getting up she walked to her closet and pulled out a pair of black pants, a maroon sweater, and a black fur collared vest. This certainly would be warm enough for even the coldest Japanese weather fronts.

Donning her clothes, Hailey went to work on her hair, heating her curling iron and then pulling out her makeup. A slight foundation followed by natural eye shadows, clear mascara for her brows, and black liner on the top lid and slightly out to the side for a 'cat eye', and then a final few swipes of black mascara for her lashes.

By then her curling iron was heated and she proceeded to curl her straight hair into lose curls that framed her face. After curling all her hair, she ruffled her hair slightly to separate and spread the curls around her head. Reaching for her hairspray, Hailey sprayed her now loosely curled hair lightly to hold the curl all day.

Turning the curling iron off, Hailey ventured back into her closet and went through her collection of scarves. She settled on a simple sheer black scarf and wrapped it around her neck like people do with thicker scarves to ward off the cold during the winter and tied it in the back under her curls.

Hailey then crouched down and browsed through her collection of shoes. A pair of black pointy toed heels seemed to be calling to her that morning. So pulling a pair of nude colored knee-high nylons off the shelf above the lines of shoes, Hailey sat on the floor and pulled the hose on and then stood up and stepped into the black heels.

Taking a beige wool overcoat off a hanger, Hailey walked out of the closet and towards her long dresser where and jewelry chest. Opening the chest, Hailey sifted through her possessions, looking for the black diamond pendant that Seto had given to her on their first Christmas. Lifting the sliver chain out of the box, Hailey brought the two ends around her neck and fastened the clasp securely under the knot of the scarf.

Next came the dark red dangly ruby earrings that Mokuba had given her last year. They glistened a deep wine color in the light and accented the color of Hailey's sweater nicely against her midnight black hair.

Finally, with a spray of her cherry blossom scented perfume, Hailey swung her overcoat on and collected a pair of soft black suede gloves from her vanity and walked out of her room.

A maid greeted Hailey at the end of the staircase with her briefcase and travel mug of coffee. "Good morning, Miss Hailey, is there anything you'd like for me to get you before you leave?"

"No, Grace, this is enough. Though make sure Fiyero is fed and that he is taken outside for a run when he wakes up." Hailey told Grace before walking through the rest of the entrance hall and out to her waiting limo.

Hailey arrived at the hotel that the ball was being held at precisely eight o'clock and was greeted by her group of PR people.

"Mrs. Kaiba, thank goodness you've arrived. We need your approval on some of the last minute details that have to be arranged before this afternoon." Hojo said quickly after Hailey got out of the limo.

"Run them by me on the way up to the ballroom." Hailey replied curtly, entering the hotel with an air of superiority and dislike.

The glass elevator opened at the push of a button and the small group climbed in and Hailey pressed the button up to the top floor.

Her group of reps ran different questions by her and she gave her opinion of like or dislike to each item of discussion. By the time the elevator reached the top floor, Hailey had decided about over half the last minute details that still needed to be worked out.

Hailey looked around in a slight awe and saw her vision for this year's ball before her eyes. A platform in the front of the room for speeches after dinner with wine colored fabric acting as a border around the edge of the platform. A glass pedestal stood in the middle of the stage and two red fake tress where placed at the back two corners of the stage and white lights had been strung through the boughs.

Then there was the dance floor in the center of the room. Circular tables, adorned in the same wine colored fabric as the platform stage, lined the outskirts of the dance floor. Each table had a ornate center piece that had a glass vase that consisted of two vases in one; one empty in the center of the outer larger one and a larger one filled with white lights and red and white glass stones. Red rose would be put in to the center vase right before the ball started. Each table seated six comfortably.

There was a bar off to the left side of the large ballroom and then near the back of the room there was an empty space left were members of the press that allowed to cover the event would stand. By the stage and somewhat beside the elevator was were the small orchestra Hailey had booked would play.

And directly behind the stage was a raised area, accessible by steps, were the wall was completely made of glass and you could see the entire Tokyo skyline.

All in all it was a very impressive room, even by Hailey Kaiba's standards.

"Mr. Higurashi, you certainly seemed to have outdone yourself this time. I am very impressed." Hailey said after her inspection of the room, during which every single person in the room with Hailey had been holding their breath in anticipation. After that compliment, everyone let their breath out in a sigh of relief. Hailey Kaiba had actually like what they had done with the place, or rather how they had created the dream she had envisioned for the event of the year.

"Why thank you Mrs. Kaiba. I'm glad that you like what we came up with based on the idea you gave us." Hojo replied breathily.

Hailey walked around the room and made comments about were she wanted some little changes. Then about and hour later, someone from the catering service arrived and Hailey confirmed the menu and sent then back on their merry way.

The florist arrived just after the caterer and showed Hailey a picture of the bouquet they planned to have at the front of the pedestal and at the centerpieces of each table. She said yes to both designs and the representative from the florist thanks Hailey and told her that the flowers would be at the hotel around five the next day and that they, meaning people from the shop, would set the flowers up then.

It was just after noon when Hailey left the hotel and walked to Kaiba Corp.

The wind blew her hair around slightly, and by the time she reached the building, she was glad that she had sprayed her hair with hairspray before leaving the house.

The front desk secretary greeted her with a small smile, and called the elevator down to the lobby through a button on her desk. Hailey nodded in return and waited for the elevator.

Once up at her own floor, Hailey was greeted, like always, by Tsubame. "Ah, Mrs. Kaiba, we weren't expecting you so soon on the eve of the ball. Is everything going all right on site?"

"Everything's going fine actually. Ahead of schedule actually." Hailey answered, a smirk forming on her face. "Call my personal stylist, hairdresser, makeup artist, and nail people and have them stop by. I'd like to work out tomorrows look with them since I have time today."

"Right away ma'am,"

Twenty minutes later, Hailey was meeting with all her specialists. Hailey had a picture of her gown for when Kenshin had finished it and was discussing some of the ideas she had had about what the do with the gown.

Her nails specialist was seated by her side since they had decided already what color of nails Hailey wanted. So as the young female CEO talked with the rest of her team, the nails specialist was painting her fingernails a rich shade of red.

"So Mrs. Kaiba, did you have any ideas of how you wanted your hair to look like for tomorrow night?" asked her stylist, Yahiko Sagara.

"I was thinking something like this," Hailey said, pointing at a drawing of what she had thought about her hair that was laid out on her desk. Most of her long hair would be pulled up into an intricate bun, and then some of her bangs would be curled in a fashion like she had done earlier in the morning. Also a small portion of her hair would be in a curly pony tail that trailed down her back.

"I like that…and I think that it's completely doable," Yahiko said, picking the drawing up off the desk to take a closer look at the picture.

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that. Come by the mansion around one tomorrow afternoon." Hailey said.

The discussion went on to have Hailey decide on her makeup scheme and what shoes and jewelry she would wear to accent the ball gown. By the time they were finished it was rounding on two in the afternoon. This had been one of the smoothest prep days Hailey had ever gone through. But that still couldn't pacify her innate sense of dread. It was like the calm before a really dangerous storm. Though if only she had the foresight to see how true her feelings were.

**And I think I'll end the sixth installment of _The White Rose _there and make you all wait for the next chapter. And I promise the next few chapters that I have planned and partially already written (hehehe) are going to be worth the wait. Or at least I think so, but I'm the author so I'm bound to think like that. Oh well. Please read and review! Thanks a bunch. Bye!**

**Mazakai**


	7. Chapter 7: The Foil

**The White Rose**

**Chapter 7: The Foil**

A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

**By: **Mazakai

**Started: **July 12, 2006

**Completed: **June 6, 2007

**Don't Forget!** I would like to hear what you think of my story so please review.

**Ladies and Gents** Just a little heads up for all ya all. There will be major violence and language in this chapter, so if you don't like that to bad for you cause this is a really good chapter and if you don't read it you'll never now what happened and you'll be lost later on. This might be the last chapter of _**The White Rose**_, but I'm not sure. There will be an epilogue once it is finished though.

**Disclaimer:** ME, own Yu-Gi-Oh!? I wish! Anyway, if I were Kazuki Takahashi or the people at Shounen Jump or Viz or 4Kids or wherever, I'd not only be rich, but I'd make a REAL life Seto Kaiba for me to hold prisoner or something...so yeah. This is for fun, not profit.

Recap from chapter six: 

This chapter started off with a scene of schemes and plans (hints the name _**The Planning**_). An unknown man is planning something dreadful for the late Seto Kaiba's dear wife, Hailey Kaiba. The young widow is continually working on planning the grand even of the year, the Kaiba Corp 55th Anniversary Ball. As the day draws near, along with the five year anniversary of Seto's death, Hailey and Mokuba struggle to get work done at the office, while battling with inside emotions that run high during this time of the year for the remaining Kaiba's. Hailey's personal designer, Kenshin Himura (yes, the Kenshin we all know and love!), has created the gown that Hailey herself designed for the ball; the stunning creation even more stunning once donned by the lovely Hailey Kaiba. Hailey and her wolf, Fiyero share some alone time to bond and remember the past in Hailey's case of a time when all she really needed was love (from Moulin Rouge hehehe). Then one the eve of the ball things are running almost too perfectly for the young female CEO to believe that it's true. Though nothing can cover the underlying sense of dread Hailey feels as the day wears on. If only she knew how well place that dread is. And now we continue with _**The White Rose**_.

Hailey stood in front of her walk in closets mirror and examined her reflection. Sleek black hair pulled up into an intricate bun with bangs and a lose curly pony tail in back with silver and diamond clips on the bun, makeup done to perfection with subtle red eye shadow acting almost as eye liner, a line of black eye liner right below the red, thick lashes painted black by mascara, a light blush, and finally some deep red lipstick. And she didn't even have her dress on yet.

Her hairstylist, Yahiko Sagara had just finished with her hair and she was looking over his handy work.

"Yahiko, I think you've finally outdone yourself. This is the best I've ever seen you do my hair." Hailey praised, nearly smiling. She was still human enough, still girly enough to enjoy having her hair done and being able to gush about it afterwards.

"I'm glad you're happy with my work, Mrs. Kaiba." Yahiko said, packing his various combs and brushes back into his bag. He always enjoyed coming to the Kaiba mansion. Everyone, even the two Kaiba's treated him and his people generously even if they didn't realize it. "Well, I'll see you later tonight at the gala, Mrs. Kaiba."

"Yes, of course," Hailey replied smirking her trademark smirk.

Just then someone knocked on her door. "Hailey are you there?" It was Mokuba.

"Yeah, Mokuba, the doors open." Hailey called out to her brother-in-law. Mokuba opened the door and smiled at Yahiko. They had become friends over the years as weird as it may seem.

"Hey, Yahiko. I see that you've worked your magic on Hailey's hair once again. It looks great as usual." Mokuba complimented, seeing Hailey's hair as she turned in a circle to show it off.

"It's all due to Mrs. Kaiba's lovely hair and face. I just merely try to enhance her natural beauty." Yahiko said in his usual flirtatious manner. It was just they way he rolled with life.

"Hailey is a desert rose. That's part of the reason she won her way into the heart of my older brother." Mokuba said his voice dropping at his own mention of his older brother. It was the eve of his older brother's murder and it was odd for him to mention Seto blatantly around this time of the year.

Hailey gasped slightly at the mention of her dead husband's name and turned away slightly for Mokuba and Yahiko's eyes. It still hurt after all these years to think about Seto.

"Well, like I said, I'll see you both later tonight at the gala." And with that Yahiko left the Kaiba's in Hailey's room as he left the mansion.

Mokuba walked up to Hailey and pulled her into a warm embrace. "I'm so sorry for mentioning Seto. I didn't do it on purpose."

"I know Mokie, I know. It just hurts a bit." Hailey said stroking Mokuba's back in a comforting way. They split their embrace and Hailey studied Mokuba. "So what brings you to my room little brother?"

"Two things actually. I was wondering first if you ever read that letter that Tsubame gave you when we went in to the lab a few nights ago."

Hailey gasped, again, remembering the letter that Tsubame had put into her briefcase the night she and Mokuba had been called in to fix a problem personally. She had left it in the pocket of the case and forgotten it thanks to all the hullabaloo that went along with the Anniversary Ball.

"Actually, I had forgotten about it before you just reminded me. I read it later tonight before I leave. Thanks Mokuba."

"No problem. And the other thing; I remember when we met nine years ago that someone mentioned that you were an Egyptian princess. Are you really, a princess I mean?" Mokuba asked his eyes lighting up to some degree.

"Yes, I am, was, a princess. I gave the title up when I moved to Japan. I still am one of the Crown princesses legally and if the need arose I would take the throne as queen. But I don't see that happening anytime soon. Marik and Ishizu are in perfect health and I have my own empire here with Kaiba Corp." Hailey answered, smiling at the memory of the underground palace her family had ruled in.

"So technically when you married big brother, he became a prince of Egypt. What does that make me?" Mokuba asked, curiosity almost overflowing.

"Yes, your brother was a prince by marriage. He was royalty for two years and he knew it. I told him the night of our marriage. You, through the marriage of your brother to me, a Princess of the Nile, are considered a prince as well since my family changed the law many, many, many years ago that if one of the Prince or Princesses of the Nile married someone outside of royal blood, the family members, mainly the siblings of the husband or wife would be considered princes or princesses in the court. A legal process would be taken if need arose for those siblings to take the throne. Seto and I decided at the age of ten you were to young to know that you were a prince of Egypt like your brother had become. We had planned to tell you on your sixteenth birthday, but I guess I forgot three years ago to tell you the truth. Sorry. When I move here from Egypt I kept my true identity a secret from all of my friend and even my boyfriend, your brother. I had come to Japan as a young girl with my father the king of Egypt when I was five and I lived here for a month as my father arranged some sort of deal with the prime minister. I met your stepfather and his family I think, that was back when Kaiba Corp wasn't the way it is today thanks to your brother and now me. I was scared of Gozaburo when I saw him for the first and only time. His voice was loud and mean as I recall. But that was the last time I used my royal title here in Japan. And the rest is history. My father died in some freak accident and my brother, Marik, took the throne at the age of eighteen when he was rightfully considered an adult and after the fiasco of Battle City. We were sure that the advisor and high court would not allow Marik to become king after they heard about the whole take over the world scheme, but Ishizu and I used our right as the Crown Princesses to force them really to allow Marik his birthright to the throne. In the end they saw it our way and Marik ascended to the throne. That's why I had to leave for a short time after the tournament and when your brother proposed to me. We had to settle the matter officially before I could leave the land of my ancestors and come back here to Japan to my fiancé and my friends. It's really a complicated mess if you think about it. I don't need any more press than what I get as CEO of Kaiba Corp. if I did announce publicly that I was born, metaphorically, with a tiara on my head." Hailey finished with Mokuba looking at her in awe.

He had, had no idea of what went on in his sister-in-laws past. And then to find out that when his brother had taken Hailey as his wife, Seto had not only become a prince by marriage, but he Mokuba Kaiba had also become a prince of the land of the Nile. It was freakin' awesome!

"Wow, Hailey that's so cool. And to think that I became royalty without even trying. That's so cool. How cool would it be to announce it to the public tonight at the gala. That would sure send the press a curve ball if ever I saw one. Can we do it Hailey, can we, can we, can we?" Mokuba said enthusiastically, nearly jumping up and down like a kid who had just been given a puppy for Christmas.

"This is exactly why your brother and I wanted to wait until you were sixteen to tell you." Hailey mumbled more to herself than Mokuba.

"Oh, come on now Hailey, you're taking all the fun out of this. We could call Marik and Ishizu and set up a video feed and broadcast it during the ball while all the press people are there. I could arrange it all by myself. Or better yet, we could have one of the jets fly to Egypt, pick up Marik and Ishizu and Odion of course and fly them back here in time for the ball and make the announcement together. That's how I think big brother would have done it. We could easily make it with Kaiba Corp. One, which is _the _fastest jet in the world. It could make to Egypt and back in a fourth the time it would take to fly there commercially. All you would need to do is call them and arrange it. _**Please **_Hailey; can we do this one fun thing?" Mokuba looked up at her from his place on her bed with his oh-so-famous and oh-so-productive puppy dog eyes. How he could still do that at age nineteen amazed her.

"Oh, alright. But stay here why I call Ishizu and then you can explain your idea to her. I'm sure she'll say yes to you." Hailey said exasperatedly, throwing her arms up into the air.

Mokuba leaped up and crushed her with a huge hug and a small kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Hailey pulled out her cell phone a punched the speed dial to her families number. It rang twice before Marik picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Marik its Hailey. Listen could you put me on speaker and get Ishizu and Odion in on this conversation, there's something I'd like to ask you all."

"Sure, just a minute."

While she heard her brother calling for the rest of her family, Hailey herself put Marik on speaker so Mokuba could hear and talk as well. A second later her whole family was in on the conference call.

"Okay, Hale, we're all here. What was it that you wanted to ask us?"

"Okay guys, this might sound odd, but Mokuba and I would like you to come to the Anniversary ball tonight. Mokuba would like to make it public that he, through my marriage to his brother, is a prince of Egypt. I thought it would be more official if the whole royal family was at the ball. If he makes it public than I have to announce that I'm as well. Well, I'll let him explain the whole thing to you."

So Mokuba proceeded to tell the Ishtar's about his idea and to Hailey's dread they agreed. They also agreed on bring the silver and gold twined crowns that Hailey had christened the Lord of the Rings elf crowns along for everyone to don before the ball to make it even more authentic. Hailey said a few more words to her family before they ended the call and Mokuba pulled out his own cell phone and dialed the Kaiba Corp. airfield.

"The jets going to leave in five minutes and they should be here in about five hours." Mokuba said proudly, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"You're sure you really want to do this, Mokuba? If you thought the run-ins with the press were bad now as just being the vice president of Kaiba Corp., then you should know that once the word gets out that you're also royalty, they're going to watch your every move. Every mistake you make in public will be broadcast around the world and what you once considered you private life, becomes your second public life." Hailey said almost in an accusatory tone.

"Are you trying to scare me out of this moment of glory Hailey? Because it's not going to work. I'm thinking this is one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me before. I want to milk this to its fullest." Mokuba replied coolly.

"Okay, if you are really ready to accept the burden of this honor, then I'll lay off for now. But heed this, I told you so before hand."

"Okay big sister. What ever you say."

And with that Mokuba left Hailey's room to go prepare for the night of frivolity that lay before them.

Five hours later, a long black limo was waiting at the private Kaiba Corp. airfield just outside of Tokyo. Hailey and Mokuba stood outside of the limo with Roland off to the side and Hailey had Fiyero's black leather leash in her left hand. Fiyero stood proudly beside Hailey with his jewel studded collar gleaming in the setting sun.

A plane was taxing down the runway, hardly making a sound or disturbing the wind.

Hailey stood still and smoothed the material of her wine colored dress with her right hand. This was the calm before the storm and she knew it. That feeling of fear hadn't left her since the beginning of the week and it had steadily grown up to today. Not even the thought of her family coming from Egypt settled her nerves.

The plane had come to a stop and the flight crew was busily moving the steps up to the side cockpit door. One ran up the stairs and signaled to the flight attendant. He then backed down a few stairs and watched as the door slowly slid open. Then he ran down the rest of the stairs to clear way for the passengers.

Odion came first, clad in his best suit, with a carry-on bag in each hand. He trotted down the stairs and smiled at Hailey, placing the bags at her feet and embracing her warmly. He released her from his arms and stood beside her and watched the door silently.

Ishizu came next, adorned in a simple ivory gown. Gold arm bands lined her wrists and upper arms. Her hair was in an intricate and ornately decorated bun and a thick twisted gold circlet adorned her brow. Her traditional gold earrings and gold necklace glinted in the evening sun.

Marik was right behind her in an immaculate black tuxedo. Hailey could see his own gold arm bands peeking out from the sleeves of his tux. He had his own thick gold circlet crown upon his head; the sides hidden by his white blonde hair. She could barely see the identical earrings Ishizu had on upon her brothers ears, but she knew that they were their. She herself had the same version on, but in silver.

Marik began walking down the steps and Hailey saw for the first time one of the most magnificent white wolves she had ever seen. The wolf's pelt sparkled silver in the sunlight and a collar much like Fiyero's circled its neck. Its gold eyes gleamed and its tail was held high. Her brother held a black leather leash in his right hand and led the wolf down the steps.

Ishizu hugged her sister first tightly and then moved to hug Mokuba. Marik approached his sister, and let their two wolves meet before moving any closer.

The white wolf extending its neck to Fiyero and laid its muzzle on his shoulder in a measure of trust. Fiyero sniffed the white wolf briefly before laying his own muzzle on its neck.

"This is Alera, my own white wolf. I've had her since you've had Fiyero. I couldn't resist. They're actually from the same pack, just different parents." Marik explained, laying his hand on Alera's soft head and petted her head gently and affectionately.

"No surprise there brother. You love wolves just as much as I do. She really is beautiful." Hailey commented, extending her hand to her brother's she-wolf. Alera sniffed her hand and nuzzled it lovingly.

Marik turned and greeted Mokuba warmly, handing Alera's leash to Hailey. After the family had said their hellos, Roland cleared his throat. "Mrs. Kaiba, I think we should be on our way. It's getting close to six thirty."

"Oh, thank you Roland. He's right; it's time for me to be on site for the last minute checks." Hailey said, turning to her family and nodding to Roland.

Roland came forward and opened the side door of the limo for the family. Odion crawled in first and Mokuba followed him. Ishizu slid in after her brother-in-law and the twins followed her. Roland closed the door after them and walked to the driver's side door and drove off towards the hotel.

By the time the Kaiba limo reached the hotel in downtown Tokyo, reporters and cameramen already lined the sidewalks. The moment the door to the limo opened, a dull roar filled the air and the Tokyo police went to work at crowd control. Hailey's own personal bodyguard for the night's event flanked her and the rest of her party.

Fiyero's hackles rose at all the noise and he kept close to Hailey's side; his ears nearly pinned flat against his head and his lips pulled back in a soundless growl. Anyone who saw the wolf's silent threat, backed up from the velvet rope, but snapped pictures all the while.

Finally the family was inside the hotel and in one of the glass elevators up to the top floor. The view from the elevator nearly took Hailey's breath away, but not fully. Ishizu gasped slightly when she saw the Tokyo skyline and Marik smiled, seeing his twin sisters almost reaction in the mirrored reflection from the glass.

Finally they were at the top floor and the ballroom was revealed at last to everyone other than Hailey.

Guest looked up from their conversation as the Kaiba matriarch and her family entered the room. They bowed politely and went back to their conversations. Hailey's PR team approached her, all in appropriate attire and informed her of the night's progress as of then and led her to her table near the stage.

The small orchestra she had booked for the night was in the their designated corner and had been playing light background music since the start of the event; or at least that's what the PR team had told Hailey a few minutes ago. Hailey looked around the room and noticed a few people she did know from other companies and balls she had attended, but there were a few faces that she didn't recognize; oh well, you can't know everyone.

Once everyone was seated, servers brought out the first course of the three course dinner Hailey had planned. People happily started light dinner conversation as the meal went by, and Hailey talked with one of the other heads at her table about a possible merger until Mokuba nudged her in the sides and told her not to talk about business at the dinner table. They had all chuckled at that and went back to small talk and their dinner.

Finally the last desert was cleared and Hojo stepped up to the podium and checked his notes quickly. Mokuba pulled out Hailey's seat for her and Hailey smiled ever so briefly to her brother-in-law. Marik helped Ishizu into her chair and he and Odion then took their own seats.

Once everyone was seated, Hojo stepped back up the glass podium and cleared his throat before speaking. "Hello, and welcome, everyone, to the 50th Anniversary of Kaiba Corporation!" There was a smattering of applause, and most gazes turned towards Hailey at the fore, who nodded politely, applauding slightly herself.

"Half a century ago," Hojo continued, smiling, "No one had heard the name 'Kaiba.' Or if they had, they surely didn't associate it with a company as large and successful as ours!" Another round of applause. "We've all come a very long way, over the past fifty years, and even in this past year alone. And we're very lucky to be celebrating yet another successful year with our young and enigmatic CEO, Mrs. Hailey Kaiba herself!" Louder applause this time, continuing up until the point Hailey stood up and nodded slightly, before sitting down again

'Enigmatic?' Marik mouthed to her, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Don't look at me," she whispered. "I didn't write his speech." Marik stifled a laugh and continued to listen.

"This evening, we have the pleasure of hearing from some of the technology industry's sharpest minds and strongest business leaders. Many of them work with Kaiba Corp to help us all keep going strong in this hectic world! We'll hear from Ms. Mariko Toiyama, head of inter-company relations with Troika Suppliers, Mr. Ri Yen from the Chinese branch of Industrial Illusions, Mr. Duke Devlin from Devlin Incorporated, and many others... and of course, our company head, Hailey Kaiba, herself, on what we can look forward to for next year! Following that, what is sure to be a delicious dinner, some dancing, and drinks! Have a wonderful evening everyone, and thanks again for coming!"

There were several minutes of applause, and then a slightly older woman took the stage, making her speech.

Forty minutes later, Hailey couldn't have looked more bored. Of course, no one noticed the expression on her face --no one except Marik, since everyone else was respectfully watching the slide-show that the final presenter was showing.

And it wasn't as if their presentations were all that boring to him, either-- he remembered something interesting that the Ri Yen guy had said-- something about Industrial Illusions working with Kaiba Corp to take one of its shareholder's ideas for an interactive duel-suit and bring it to the gaming market.

Hailey's speeches would be next, followed by the dancing, but it didn't look as though Hailey were any more enthused about making a speech than she had been when she first told Marik about it during the limo ride there.

When a scattering of applause snapped the young CEO out of her stupor, Mokuba gently touched her arm, catching her attention.

"Smile," he said in a soft voice, "for me?"

Hailey gave him a strange look, but offered a slight smile, curling the corners of her mouth up, as she rose from her chair, adjusting her ball gown slightly and taking the velvet box that held her own silver circlet crown in it off the table, and headed towards the stage. The applause continued even after she was standing at the podium, to the point where she looked almost unsure what to do to get them to stop.

Finally, she spoke, in a loud, clear voice, her eyes riveted out towards the city skyline, so she wouldn't have to look at any one person-- or worse, the whole crowd. It was one thing talking to large groups of people your own age-- especially if you had a bone to pick with some of them, as Hailey had always had, whenever she dueled... but this was completely different. Marik could see why Hailey, though she hadn't said it in so many words, was apprehensive.

"Good evening." More applause, and Mokuba, who was leaning with his head in his arms on the table, glanced up and rolled his eyes, mouthing 'stupid suits.' Marik smiled slightly, but then turned his gaze back up to Hailey.

"Fifty years seems like a long time. In terms of business, a company that manages to last that long is considered a success. In terms of life, a person that has lived a half-a-century is often considered accomplished. This world has much to see within it, much to be done, and considering the variable years each of us is given on this Earth, many of us see it in our best interests to live in the moment, to live in each day, and experience everything this world has to offer. I learned that the hard way five years ago when my late husband, Seto Kaiba, was murdered in our mansion and I took control of Kaiba Corp."

Adults in the audience were nodding; even the older ones that were likely over fifty, though there didn't appear to be many of them.

"But fifty years really isn't that long a time. Few of us here can even begin to fathom what that amount of time is like. While I'm sure many people here can say they've lived a long time, seen a lot of things --good and bad alike. But in fifty years, the name Kaiba has changed from being unknown... to being one of the top military-grade weapons producers," Marik's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this; "to becoming what it is today, a technological leader, working with countless other companies," Hailey gestured towards the executives from Troika and Devlin Incorporated nearby, "to create products for today's ever-changing world. Instead of working to destroy, Kaiba Corp works with hundreds of firms and thousands of people to create products that don't just entertain, as our Duel Disk Systems do, but help heal, create, and solve today's problems."

Hailey swallowed. She was good at memorizing speeches, but she just couldn't focus. Not with what she was about to announce to the entire world.

_'Well, here goes nothing. So much for my somewhat peaceful life, wait that doesn't exist either' _Hailey thought ruefully. She would admit some time later that she was nervous for the first time in a long five years. She hadn't done something this; well she didn't know what to call this. Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was a mistake, but she was here on this stage and had flown her entire family for this single announcement. She had to go through with it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is something else I'd like to tell you all tonight. Seven years ago the royal family of Egypt welcomed two new princes to the throne through the act of marriage by the youngest crown princess. I am here tonight to tell you all that I am that crown princess. Seven years ago Seto and Mokuba Kaiba became Princes of the Nile through Seto's marriage to me, a blood Princess of the Nile. I would like to introduce the rest of my family: my older sister, Ishizu the crown princess and my twin brother Marik, the king of Egypt." Hailey unclasped the bow and lifted her circlet off the velvet and placed it upon her brow, maneuvering it around her bun.

Marik and Ishizu made their way up the stage and Mokuba followed them. Through out the room, people gasped and gaped. Not only was she the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world, Hailey Kaiba was an exotic princess and her brother was the king. Could nothing else happen to shock them? Seconds after Hailey finished the room exploded with applause and flashing cameras.

The press were literally trying to jump or climb over Hailey's security. They all yelled their questions over the noise of the applause and tried to get her attention. Hailey winced at the noise level and held out a hand for silence. It went quiet immediately.

"I do not want this to change how you think about me or how you act around me. This title makes me no different from anyone. And there will be a press conference later next week to answer any of your questions. The press section of this gala is now over. Goodnight."

It took nearly an hour to clear out the press from the ballroom. Hailey had long stepped down from the stage and sat back down at her table, surrounded by her guards for the night. Hojo approached the circle and Hailey signaled for him to be let through.

"My…Mrs. Kaiba, the press is all gone, everything is cleared." He said timidly, wringing his hands behind his back.

"Thank you, Hojo. Alright men, break and guard all entrances and such," Hailey ordered, standing from her chair and stretching slightly. She made her way to the orchestra and spoke to the conductor. He nodded and turned to face his musicians, raising his wand. They struck the first notes of a bright waltz and got the party started again.

Couples entered the dance floor and began the flowing steps of a bright waltz. Marik came around the table and offered Hailey his hand and she smiled to her slightly older brother, accepting his hand. He led her out onto the dance floor and bowed to her and she curtsied back, placing her hand on his shoulder and taking his other in her free hand while he placed his on her waist.

The familiar steps came back and it was soon established the brother and sister pair were the most fluid dancers on the floor. Marik led her in a quick circle in the middle of the floor and surprised everyone when he lifted Hailey into the air in a spectacular shoulder lift, spinning in a circle then placing her back onto the ground. People applauded and kept dancing. Finally the last cord was played and Marik spun Hailey down into a deep dip, her back resting on his bent knee.

Everyone who wasn't dancing clapped for the orchestra and for Marik and Hailey. Marik smiled and bowed and Hailey inclined her head slightly and grabbed Marik's hand, pulling him off the dance floor.

"Hailey, I haven't seen you dance like that since your…wedding." Mokuba said, regretting it almost as he watched Hailey flinch at the mention of something related to Seto on the eve of the fifth anniversary of his murder. He walked up to Hailey and wrapped her in a tight hug, whispering his apology in her ear.

Ishizu and Odion took to the floor and Hailey and the other two men watched from their table. Some of Hailey's board of directors and their spouses came and talked to the female CEO and now known, princess.

The women commented Hailey on her gown and asked where she had gotten such a splendid outfit and she told them about her designer Kenshin, pointing him out in the crowd and about how she had actually designed the dress for this year's event. Kenshin came over after awhile and was bombarded with questions and praise from the wealthy ladies.

Hailey's second in command besides Mokuba, Izayoi Sagara, kindly introduced Marik to his daughter who was his and Hailey's age. Kazuki was a pretty young woman with shoulder length copper hair that curled in a cute little wave. Her mother was American which gave her the copper hair. Emerald eyes shone with warmth and kindness under thick black lashes. She stood a bit shorter than Hailey and had a petite figure. A ivory colored gown graced her form and a emerald sash the some color of her eyes was tied in a neat bow around her waist with the two tails falling to the hem of her dress.

Marik bowed to the young woman and Hailey saw a look a adoration in his violet eyes. He was smitten. Kazuki was who Hailey mostly talked to at these events if Mokuba was unable to attend. She was a sweet young woman and she was only a few months younger than Hailey; which helped.

"Marik, why don't you and Kazuki go out and dance." Hailey suggested, winking at her older brother. Kazuki nodded her head in excitement and Marik offered her his arm. Once the two were out of earshot, Mokuba, Hailey, Izayoi and his wife all started to laugh.

"So that's your twin brother Hailey-chan. Well he seems like a nice young man. Kazuki was absolutely taken by him." Izayoi said, watching his daughter glide around the dance floor with his boss's brother. Hailey was like his own daughter since his own daughter was Hailey's age and Hailey treated him like her father as well. Once she had taken control of the company, he had been her vice president until Mokuba turned sixteen three years ago when he had traded in his title as vice president and moved down to a seat in the board of directors. He had always been there for her as a father-stand-in when she needed one after Seto had been killed.

"Marik seemed to be floating at the sight of her, Izayoi. He'd probably do anything she asked him to in a heartbeat." Mokuba said, folding his arms across his chest as he watched. Two years ago Izayoi had tried the same thing with him, but it backfired on him and Mokuba and Kazuki had become friends instead of lovers. "Well, that inspired me some, so Hailey may I kindly have this dance?"

"Of course little brother."

Hailey took Mokuba's hand and he led her onto the dance floor again. A tantalizing tango was flowing from the orchestra and Hailey and Mokuba gracefully danced their hearts out. Contrary to popular belief, both the late Seto Kaiba and the still alive Mokuba Kaiba could dance like professionals. Hailey spun and twirled with Mokuba and finally the song ended and Mokuba dipped Hailey backwards unexpectedly and her bun nearly touched the floor. The brother-in-law and sister-in-law returned to Izayoi and they talked the next song away, watching Marik and Kazuki rumba.

Suddenly, a form blocked their view of the dance floor and a tall man stood before the head's of Kaiba Corp. He bowed in respect and straightened up before he began to talk. "Mrs. Kaiba, I was wondering if you would allow me this dance?"

"I don't know…I really mustn't." Hailey said, recovering into her old business like self. Maybe it was his long aquamarine colored hair, or his one gold and one aqua colored eyes, or his strange accent (which was saying something since she herself had a strong accent thanks to her Egyptian heritage), but Hailey felt unnerved by this man. Something didn't feel right. She felt like she had seen him before, but you'd think she'd remember long aquamarine hair and multicolored eyes.

"Hailey-chan, you should go. You need to dance with someone other than your brother or brother-in-law for a change." Izayoi said chuckling at Hailey's slight glared towards him. "Go on, little wolf, we'll keep a look out for any members of the press that eluded the guards." And with that he gave Hailey a little shove forward towards the strange man.

Hailey took his hand in her gloved one and allowed him to lead her out onto the floor. The orchestra had just finished a sensual rumba, and the same Latino taste seemed to be favored for a sexy samba came next. Hailey suddenly felt uncomfortable with dancing such a passionate dance with a complete stranger.

Though the stranger obviously felt no qualms about the whole thing; he grabbed her waist and lifted their joined hands while she placed her other hand on his shoulder. He guided her easily in the steps of the samba, her memory of the dance steps coming back to the point that she didn't need him to help her remember.

"Sir, I'm afraid that you never told me your name," Hailey said, swaying her hips in time with the music, making her skirts swish quietly.

"How very rude of me. I forget my manners for a moment, forgive me. My name is Ariellus Dartz, perhaps you have heard of me. I did once work with your late husband." He chuckled as comprehension dawned on Hailey's face.

"_**You**_!!! It was you I saw in my dreams. You hurt my husband all those years ago. What are you doing here?" Hailey demanded, still dancing the Latino dance. Dartz spun her out and she swirled back into his embrace, swaying her hips this way and that. He spun her out again and this time she returned to her original position, fixing the older man with an icy blue glare.

"Mrs. Kaiba, I'm pleased to see that you remember me from all those years ago. And to answer your question, I'm just here to see how you're doing after that tragic even involving your husband five years ago to the day tomorrow. I was shocked to see how much you changed from that charming young lady I met six years ago at this very hotel at the 49th anniversary ball. You had just married Seto Kaiba eleven months earlier. Pity you only had two years with Kaiba. I was shocked when I saw the newspaper the day after saying that he had been murdered in his own study. He was, what only nineteen years old, when he died." Dartz said, watching Hailey's eyes dart around as she tried to force the memories of what he was talking about back and away from her heart. A clear look of pain and grief had formed on her pretty face and Dartz smirked. "I'm sorry; this must be hard for you to talk about, even after five years. Forgive me for my rudeness."

Hailey looked up and saw the malice in his bi-colored eyes. He was lying about being sorry and they both knew it. But Hailey saw more than just the malice; she saw something else, something more evil. She saw the truth in his eyes.

"You…it was _**you**_…you're the one who…you killed him! You sent me those messages and the phone call about Mokuba. You killed _**my **_husband. You killed _**him**_!!!!" Hailey whispered in fear and anger. She watched in horror as Dartz's face twisted into an evil smile.

"Very good, Mrs. Kaiba. You just solved the whole mystery, or at least this chapter's worth. But there is still more to come, much more to come. Know this though, if I had the choice and chance to kill your dear beloved husband again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Goodnight." He said, before turning on his heel and disappearing, literally.

Hailey stood in the middle of the dance floor, shocked to the core of her being. She had just been dancing with her husband's murderer. She had stood there and watched as he told her that he killed her husband and she hadn't been able to do anything. She had just stood there; dancing with him in a daze as reality came crashing around her head in painful waves.

She stumbled back to her table and looked around in fright. Where was Mokuba?

"Hailey, are you okay?"

Hailey spun around and came face to face with her brother-in-law. Thank goodness. She gave him a quick hug just for good measure. "Mokuba, I'm going to head home. I just remembered something really important that I need to do that can't wait. You'll have to end the ball, but just tell them that I wasn't feeling well and headed home early." Hailey said quickly. Mokuba nodded dumbly and Hailey turned away and went looking for the rest of her family.

Ishizu was standing with Odion near the bar, talking in hushed tones about something or another. "Ishizu, Odion, I'm going home now. If you want to come you can or you can stay with Mokuba; I don't care."

"We'll go with you. There's really nothing for us to do here." Ishizu said, placing her wine glass back down on the counter. Odion followed suit and nodded his thanks to the barman. Marik walked up to the trio as they approached the elevator bank. Something in his eyes worried Hailey.

"Hale, is everything alright? Wait why are you leaving?" Marik asked, taking Hailey's hand in his own. His eyes searched Hailey's own and she tried to smile at her brother.

"I'm just not feeling well. I'm going to go home; you can stay here if you like, I don't care." Hailey said, squeezing Marik's hand before letting go and turning to the elevators.

"See you later." And with that, Hailey Kaiba left her own ball.

Hailey sat in her study with the only her desk lamp on still in her ball gown. Her mind reeled with all the information Dartz had told her before disappearing. It was too unreal. Her thoughts were disrupted when a knock came from outside her office door.

"Yes."

"Mrs. Kaiba, your highness, there is a young man here to see you. He's says it concerns a man named Dartz and that you'd want to talk to him." Roland said, opening the door and standing in the frame of the mahogany doors.

Hailey looked up and turned all the lights on in her office by remote. "Bring him to me at once."

Roland nodded and closed the door. Seconds later, the door opened a second time and a young man with golden blonde hair walked into the room. He almost looked afraid to look Hailey in the eye.

"If you're worried that you might have been bugged and that someone might overhear what you're going to tell me, then you shouldn't be worried. This mansion and this room are wired with technology that over ride any sort of bugging technology and equipment. No one except you and I will hear what you are about to say." Hailey said, noticing him looking around her office.

The young man let out a sigh of relief and his shoulders dropped from their tense position. Hailey motioned at the chair in front of her desk. "Please have a seat."

The man sat down and looked Hailey in the eye for the first time. "Your highness, Mrs. Kaiba, ma'am, my name is Corey Porter. For the past one and a half years I have been working with a man named Ariellus Dartz. And while working for him I heard him talking about a plan that involved your family. That sparked some concern in my brain because one day last year when I walked passed a room I heard some of Dartz's most trusted advisors talking about the first successful mission with the Kaiba family four years ago. I only figured that they were talking about the murder of Seto Kaiba, your husband. I would have gone straight to the police then, but as I was walking away, one of the men saw me and threatened me. Now I don't even think he remembers me, so I wasn't as worried about coming to you. So for the last few months I've been watching and sneaking around to find out more information about this new plan of Dartz's. And when I was looking around, I found these papers and made copies of them so no one would find them missing." Corey pulled a manila folder out of his jacket. Hailey took the folder and looked through the papers. As she read her eyes got large and her mouth dropped open in shock and horror.

"Are these authentic? You're not lying to me?" Hailey asked, looking into Corey's brown eyes.

"Why would I lie to you, your highness?" he asked, almost pleadingly. "I know that I can speak freely without being overheard here; you told me that yourself."

"Right. But I have to ask, would you mind repeating what you just said about Dartz and anything else for the police chief. I can call him and get him out here so you can tell him in person and we'll have it recorded as an anonymous tip off. I'll even let you stay here at the mansion with the promise of security from my own personal body guards if you fear that Dartz will finds out that you said something to the police. I'll even have your entire family moved to the unused guest wing of the mansion if your afraid Dartz and him men will go after them to punish you." Hailey said, pleading with the young man in front of her with her voice and eyes. "Oh, and you don't have to call me 'your highness'. Mrs. Kaiba will be fine."

"But, you're a princess and with all that you've just offered me for my own safety; it's the least I can do to show respect for you, your highness." Corey said, his eyes looking slightly watery. "I'll tell the police chief everything. I can even tell you where Dartz lives and the location of his secret headquarters."

"You are really brave for doing this. I appreciate you putting yourself at risk to get this information to me. How about you tell me where your family lives and I'll send my drivers out to retrieve them and bring them here. My guards will go with them for extra security and once they are all here, we'll get the chief of police down here and you can tell him everything." Hailey said, a touch of kindness shining in her eyes. This was the first time she had been arm towards anyone other than her family.

Corey nodded in agreement to her plan and wrote out the addresses of all his family that lived in Japan. Thankfully almost all of his relatives lived in the same vicinity of each other so it would be easier on Hailey's staff. Hailey paged Roland and had him give the addresses to her drivers and sent five body guards with each limo. Corey called his family and told them to expect a limo to be arriving at their houses and not to worry about it and just get in to the cars; he would explain everything when he saw them.

Hailey sent Corey off with one of the maids for a cup of coffee in a secured lounge as they waited for his family to arrive. Once she knew that he was safe in the room, Hailey dialed Mokuba's cell phone and waited for him to pick up.

"Mokuba here,"

"Mokuba you need to come home now! You might not be safe out tonight alone. Get Marik and Izayoi and his family and bring them to the mansion. You all need to be here and take at least five of the guards with you when you leave." Hailey said, saying everything in one breath.

"What…Hailey, what are you talking about? What's going…?" Mokuba said, but Hailey cut him off.

"Mokuba, don't question me, just get home as quick as you can." Hailey exclaimed, starting to pace her office.

"Okay, I'll see you in thirty minutes with Marik and Izayoi and his family."

Hailey hung up and kept pacing. Quickly she paged Odion and Ishizu about what was going on and had them join Corey in the lounge to keep him company and to stay there until his family arrived. Fifteen minutes later, Roland paged her to tell her that Corey's family had arrived. Hailey threw open her office doors and nearly ran to the entrance hall of the mansion. Twenty or so people of almost every age stood in her front hall, looking puzzled and slightly scared. Corey nearly ran into Hailey as he rushed forward to his family. Ishizu and Odion where right behind him and walked behind Hailey as she approached the group.

He was giving a young dark haired young woman a hug when Hailey approached the group. Corey noticed Hailey and her family and back away from the young woman. "Everyone, this is her royal highness, Princess Hailey Kaiba. She is being extremely generous and letting us stay here at her mansion for our protection for a few nights or as long as it takes to bring down her husbands murderer."

Corey's family looked at him in disbelief and gaped at Hailey as well. "What Corey says is true. You all have been brought here for your own protection in case Dartz figures out that Corey told me and the police that it was him who killed my husband and was planning to kill my entire family. I've had rooms prepared for all of you in the guest wing of the mansion. I'm sure this is a lot for you to take in at the moment and you'd like to rest. Mazuki will show you to your rooms and Corey will join you as soon as we're done with the police."

A maid with dark hair and pale skin came forward and led the group out of the foyer and to the east wing of the mansion. Corey looked relived and Hailey pulled out her cell phone and called the police station.

"Domino City Police Department, how may we help you?"

"This is Hailey Kaiba, and I'd like to speak with chief of police immediately."

"Of course Mrs. Kaiba. Let me put you through." There was a beep and then a male voice sounded on the other side of the phone line.

"Iyruka speaking."

"Iyruka this is Hailey Kaiba. I talked to you before the appeal trial of Joseph Wheeler and we also met almost five years ago after the murder of my husband. I need you to come out to my mansion immediately because I know who killed my husband and there's a young man here who would like to give a statement about the same man that will interest you greatly." Hailey said, her voice wavering slightly.

"Of course Mrs. Kaiba. I'll be there as soon as possible with some of my officers."

"Good, see you then." Hailey said, hanging up. "Alright, I think we should all go to the conference room down in the basement. It should be secure down there and we won't be disturbed…though, Ishizu, you, Odion and Corey here go ahead of me. I want to speak to Kouichi about tightening security for the next few days."

Ishizu nodded in agreement and ushered the two men down to the basement. Hailey pressed the hidden button on one of the large mirrors in the front hall and a secret doorway was revealed. She climbed the flight of steps into the mezzanine that housed her security center. Her head of security was waiting for her in the control room.

"Mrs. Kaiba, I'm not surprised to see you here." Kouichi said with a laugh. The older man was sitting at a control consol, hands flying over keys. Stray strands of his graying black hair fell into his eyes, which darted from screen to screen.

"Very funny Kouichi. Listen I know you probably already know what's going on, but I want you tighten security around and in the mansion tenfold over the next few days or until Dartz and his men are brought down." Hailey said, pulling a commanders chair up beside Kouichi's chair.

"As you wish your _**highness**_." Kouichi said in a teasing manner. Hailey had known the older gentleman since she had met Seto eight years ago. "Oh and by the way, your brother-in-law just showed up. You might want to go greet him before he starts to worry."

"Thanks Kouichi. You're the best."

"I know." He replied dryly.

Hailey ran back down the secret stair and out of the door way right as Mokuba, Marik, and Izayoi and his family walked into the mansion. All of them jumped at Hailey's unexpected appearance and Mokuba placed a hand over his heart.

"Hailey, you scared the life out of me. Don't just jump out of secret passages without giving me a bit of warning." Mokuba said, staring at his sister-in-law in shock.

"Sister, what's going on here? Mokuba said that all you told him was to bring us all here immediately." Marik said, stepping forward and giving Hailey a stern look that he had inherited from their father. "And why are you still in your dress?"

"Never mind that. Listen, I'll explain it all later; just go down and join Izz in the basement conference room. I have to wait for the chief of police to get here." Hailey said, gesturing to the hallway that led to the entrance of the basement. Marik gave in and he and Mokuba led Izayoi and his family down to the basement.

Hailey's mind began to whirl as she paced the marble floor of the entrance hall. Her skirts swished with her hurried and agitated movements. Everything was falling together, all the pieces of her frantic search for the truth of her husband's murder. Silently she said a pray for guidance; something she had been doing everyday for the past five years. Remembering the notes and information she had collected on Dartz over the last few months, Hailey ran to her office and grabbed the file and the latest unopened letter. Clutching the folder to her chest, she hurried back to the front hall and began to pace again.

Roland came out of a hallway and startled Hailey out of her pacing. "My lady, the police just arrived."

"Good let them in." Roland rushed forward and opened the door, revealing the chief of police and five of his officers.

"Mrs. Kaiba, I came as soon as possible. How may I be of service to you?" Iyruka asked, bowing to Hailey in the traditional manner. Hailey bowed her head in response.

"I've moved the young man to my secure basement conference room. If you would follow me, I'll take you to him." Hailey said, beginning to walk towards the basement. Iyruka motioned his men to follow and they all followed Hailey to the basement.

A minute later, they stood outside of a door with a keypad on the right side of the door frame. Hailey punched in the access code and the door unlocked with a click. Inside the room Ishizu, Odion, Marik, Mokuba, Izayoi and his family, and Corey all looked up as the last band of people entered the room. Hailey sat near Corey at the end of the table and the police chief sat on his other side.

"Mrs. Kaiba, I think it would be better if it were just you, the young man you spoke about, and myself in here while he gives his statement. Everyone else could wait in another room down here until he's finished and then we'll fill everyone else in once he's done." Iyruka said, pulling his brief case up onto the table's surface.

Hailey had already agreed before anyone could protest. Mokuba looked at Hailey as if he wanted to say something, but Hailey gave him a look so fierce it would have quelled even the wildest of beast. He closed his mouth and stalked out of the room. Everyone else followed in his wake in silence. Iyruka pulled out the tape player and nodded to Hailey once he turned it on and she began to talk.

"Iyruka-san, there are some files that you might want to see before we start this." Hailey said, handing the folder to the man across the table from her. She took the letter from the file before he took it though, wanting to read it aloud. Of course Iyruka noticed this and gave Hailey a slightly puzzled look.

"What is that in the envelope Mrs. Kaiba?"

"This is the latest letter I received from the man who killed my husband. I haven't opened it yet even though I got it almost a week ago. I've been so busy with planning the ball that I forgot to open it when I first got it. I'd like to read it for you if that's alright." He nodded and Hailey opened the letter and pulled out a page of parchment. Clearing her throat, she began to read the calligraphy. "_Dear Mrs. Kaiba, I believe that you received my last letter. How amusing to think that in a matter of days you'll be grieving yet another loss. My revenge is about to be complete and you will have no way of stopping it. Your husband made a grave mistake by crossing me and soon you will feel the pain that you felt all those long five years ago. Take care, young Hailey. A.D._"

Hailey handed the note to the chief and watched as he reread what Hailey had just said. Corey's face paled and he placed his head in his hand. Hailey reached a hand out and laid it on his shoulder. He looked up and Hailey smiled, actually smiled at him, the warmth and courage she had once shown freely to complete strangers. Corey smiled and straightened up to his full sitting height.

Iyruka looked through the rest of the folder and Hailey watched his eyes widen at the information. "How long have you been looking into this man Mrs. Kaiba?"

"When I got the first phone call and note, I looked into all of the smaller yet slightly well known companies that had been let go when my husband ran the company before myself. I found the top ten and then I had this strange dream, sort of like a flashback about the time that Dartz attacked Seto about a year after we were married. Something that he said in the vision struck me funny and I looked into it the next morning when I woke up. I remembered the name Dartz and I found out what company he had headed. All the information I collected on him is in that folder." Hailey said, sighing once she said everything.

"Alright young man, it's your turn to tell me what you've told Mrs. Kaiba earlier tonight."

Corey swallowed and looked into Hailey's calm blue eyes. She nodded her head slightly and he looked Iyruka in the eyes and retold everything. "For the past few months I have been working with a man named Ariellus Dartz. And while working for him I heard him talking about a plan that involved her royal highness's family. That sparked some concern in my brain because one day last year when I walked passed a room I heard some of Dartz's most trusted advisors talking about the first successful mission with the Kaiba family four years ago. I only figured that they were talking about the murder of Seto Kaiba, your husband. I would have gone straight to the police then, but as I was walking away, one of the men saw me and threatened me. Now I don't even think he remembers me, so I wasn't as worried about coming to you. So for the last few months I've been watching and sneaking around to find out more information about this new plan of Dartz's. And when I was looking around, I found these papers and made copies of them so no one would find them missing."

Corey handed the chief the papers he had shone Hailey earlier. The chief scanned the papers and compared something from what Corey had just given him and the letter that Hailey had given to him moments before. "These papers are authentic. The signatures match each other perfectly."

Hailey gasped aloud. They had just proved Dartz guilty with hard evidence. She had known since earlier this night, but now she held the proof that she needed to bring him down.

"Corey can you tell us where Dartz's headquarters are?" Hailey asked, looking Corey in the eye, apprehension plain in her voice.

Corey nodded and proceeded to tell Hailey and Iyruka exactly where Dartz would be. Hailey's smirk grew into to a full out evil smile. Finally Seto would be revenged and Hailey could live in peace that her husband's killer was forever locked away…or even better—killed himself.

"Chief," Hailey asked once Corey was done, "when's the soonest you can move in and capture Dartz?"

"As soon as we're done here, I'll have squads dispatched to all of the locations Corey gave us and we'll reconnaissance for a few hours, and then by tomorrow morning, we'll be ready to move in and make our grab." He paused for a second and then looked Hailey in the eye. "Hailey-san, I don't know if you've heard of the new law that was just legalized, but in Japan now if the murder of someone is caught after five years of evading the law, the victim's family is allowed to choose the punishment for the murderer. This would be the first case that the law was tried on, but with your consent, we'll say that the law is effective on your husband's case."

Hailey's eyes widened and tears came to her eyes. Mokuba needed to know. "Can I have Mokuba help me with this decision?"

"Of course."

Hailey paged Mokuba in the other conference room and seconds later he came barreling into the room. Hailey explained the situation and Mokuba stared at her blankly.

"Are you serious about this? This isn't just some sick scheme someone thought up, is it?"

"No, Mokuba, this is real. What do you say? I know what I want to happen, but I want your consent and agreement on that decision." Hailey said, taking Mokuba by the shoulders and watching his stormy blue grey eyes filer with different emotions.

"Dead, sister. I wan to see him die before my very eyes. I want to see him dead." Mokuba said quietly, five years of anger and hate lacing every syllable and letter. Hailey pulled him to her and hugged him fiercely, whispering her thanks in his ear.

"I agree with Mokuba on the motion. We want to see him die. We know now that Seto wasn't his only victim. Others have fallen dead because of Dartz. It's the least that can be done to give those who have lost someone dear a final closure. Or at least I'll feel better, knowing that my husband's killer is forever gone." Hailey said with fierce determination. Mokuba nodded in agreement and Iyruka wrote down something on a small pad of paper from inside his jacket pocket.

"Just so you are aware, there will probably be a large uproar of sorts because of this. The press will go crazy and you will be under a lot of cameras and reporters up until the death is executed." Iyruka said, looking up at Hailey and Mokuba. There was a surprising amount of indifference in each of their eyes.

"Mokuba and I can handle whatever the press can throw our way. We're Kaiba's, and there has been enough press problems since the day Seto was murdered and before then. I'm not worried about that aspect of the whole situation." Hailey said sternly, making her point known.

Corey watched her intently. He could see the conflicting emotions swirling around in her pretty blue eyes. She was making so many life changing decisions that he was surprised she wasn't losing it. But as Hailey Kaiba he knew she wouldn't show that side to anyone perhaps outside of her brother-in-law. What he wouldn't give to help relieve some of the burden that was sitting upon her proud shoulders.

"Hailey-san, I'd like to know if we could possibly turn your basement into our temporary headquarters for this assignment. It's the safest place besides the police station and if Dartz is watching your mansion, he would have seen that we're here and it might be conspicuous if suddenly we leave in a hurry." Iyruka asked, pulling a cell phone out of his brief case.

"Of course. I'll have some of the equipment that my security branch created for the police force brought down here and we'll have this place converted into a mini-base. You have full access to any of the technology that my security team has and that resides in this house if it will help you in your search. I'll inform my head of security and you two can discuss tactics or whatever. I'll join you once I've informed my family and changed out of my ball gown." Hailey said standing and motioning Mokuba towards the door. Iyruka nodded his approval and stayed seated. "Corey, come with me. I'll escort you to your room once I've told my brothers and sister what's going on."

Corey jumped out of his seat and followed the Kaiba's out of the conference room and to where Hailey's family and Izayoi and his family were waiting. Ishizu jumped up and glared at Hailey when they entered the room.

"HAILEY ALECTURA KAIBA, YOU HAVE BETTER TELL ME WHA'T GOING ON RIGHT NOW, OR HEAVAN HELP ME I MIGHT JUST STRANGLE YOU!!!" Ishizu yelled, stomping her foot and planting her hands on her hips.

"Now, sister, there is no need to use my middle name. I'm going to tell you everything, but if you keep yelling at me, I won't say anything." Hailey said raising her eyebrow and giving her sister a look laced with humor.

"Hailey Alectura Kaiba? You'd think after knowing her for almost nine years I would have figured out her middle name." Mokuba mumbled beneath his breath. Corey let out a snort of laughter and Mokuba smiled at him.

Ishizu sat down and Hailey sat beside her and explained everything to her family. Ishizu gasped and covered her mouth with her hand and Kazuki grabbed Marik's hand in fright when Hailey revealed that Dartz had been planning to come after herself and Mokuba after Seto's death. Those who hadn't heard the story listened intently and Mokuba looked at Hailey in horror, realizing how close he had come to being the next victim.

Hailey finished her narrative and the other occupants of the room looked at her with large eyes. Mokuba ran to his sister-in-law and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She returned the hug and held on tightly, feeling his warm tears slide down her neck. His sobs filled the room and Hailey rocked him back and forth.

"Shh, Mokuba, it's okay. Everything's okay now. It's okay," Hailey whispered into his dark hair, rubbing his back. Finally he pulled away and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Hailey gave him a small comforting smile and squeezed his hand.

"Okay, so now you know. I brought you all here for your own safety. We have no idea what Dartz might try to do if he found out that Corey told me about his scheme. My security team here at the mansion is going to join the police in the investigation and my Special Forces divisions were all contacted and are going to join the squads in capturing Dartz." Hailey said, looking around the room at each person. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm taking Corey to his family and then I'm going to join Iyruka in the search."

Motioning for Corey to follow her, Hailey walked out of the room and up to the first story of the mansion. Corey followed her a few steps behind, not knowing if he should walk beside her or not. "Corey?"

"Yes, milady?"

"I want to thank you for what you did tonight. You have no idea what this means to me. Finally finding out who killed the man that I loved is the one thing that's been on my mind for the last five days to the day. I don't think there are enough words in any language that I could say to convey my gratitude." Hailey said, looking down at the floor in slight embarrassment.

"I did only what my instinct told me to do. I knew what Dartz was doing was wrong and I acted on the fact that i could possibly save someone's life by informing you of his plans. I can't even think what might have happened if I hadn't convinced myself that telling you was the best thing for everyone. I asked myself what would a real man do in this situation and I just did it. It's sort of hard to explain. And as for your gratitude, mine is just as big for you protected not only me but my entire family." Corey said, bowing to Hailey, nearly touching his nose to his knees.

"Well, I'll call that even in my book. You have done me a great service and for that you will be rewarded. There is an honor back in Egypt bestowed upon those who the royal family find favor in through an act deserving of eternal gratitude. It's called the 'Honor of the Desert Rose' and few can claim to have this order; most of the recipients are long dead. I now give you that honor and the title of Sir Corey Porter, steward of the Desert Rose." Hailey replied, touching Corey's shoulder. He lifted his head and smiled.

"I would be honored to receive such a gift from her ladyship, and I will carry the name with pride for my lady." Corey said, gently grabbing Hailey's hand and touching it to his smooth forehead.

"Now, Sir Corey, I believe that your family is waiting for you and that you must be exhausted after all that has gone on tonight, so I will take you to your rooms."

"Thank you milady."

**Okay, well, I'm going to leave it at that. I'll save the capture until the next chapter 'cause there's almost too much in this chapter already. I know that the last part was kind of cheesy, but I'm tired and I just worked a six hour straight shift at work and I wanted to get this done tonight so I can concentrate on 'Romeo' a bit more than I have been since school got out three days ago. I also just got my license today so I'm a little brain dead. So I hope you enjoyed and keep reading and reviewing, 'cause we all know reviews are what save a starving writer! LoL! But still read and review!! Bye!**

**Mazakai**


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